Avatar: The Last Hope Book Four: Air
by firenationgirl2009
Summary: A man breaks out Ozai and Azula. Zuko is run out of the Fire Nation with Aang and they must gather old friends to stop this mysterious mans dangerous plans. Aang has strange visions and eventually learns what Gyatso did before the Air Temples were attacked. (This is treated like it was the show so yes, there are "fillers"... BEWARE! .. if you don't like fillers lol)
1. Intro

**Author's Note: Hey there! Welcome to my story called "Avatar: The Last Hope Book Four: Air"! I'm new to this site, so I'm still getting use to things, but here's the intro! ^.^ I hope you like it. It might take a little while for the first chapter to come up. I have a lot of college work to do. So, I would say you might see something... I estimate... maybe next month... around Christmas time heh heh ^.^; I know it's far away, but I should have something up then. **

**Ok, so, since this is called Book 4, I will let you know that there will be 3 books/seasons/whatever you want to call it lol after this... that's a total of 80 chapters O.O... I have a lot of work to do... omg... lol**

**There will be many twists on this new adventure and new characters. Some might surprise you. What can I say? I love my twists muwahahahaha! But as for now, enjoy the intro and ponder at the possibilites. **

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Water

Earth

Fire

Air

Over 100 Years ago, the Fire Nation started a war to gain control of all the nations and the Avatar who was next in line disappeared.

My brother and I found the Avatar 100 years later in an iceberg and traveled with him on his journey to learn all four elements so he could defeat the Fire Lord and end the war.

Along the way, we made friends who helped us during the tough time and even made enemy's, who made the journey very hard to accomplish.

Yet, in the end, a person who started out as an enemy turned into a friend and helped us end the war.

It's been three years since the war ended and things are starting to get better.

Toph had went back home to settle some problems with her parents,

Zuko, now being Fire Lord, has spent his time traveling to the other nations with Aang, the Avatar, trying to correct all the Fire Nations wrong doings and earn trust from the other nations.

As for my brother and I, we're back at our home in the South Pole with our family and friends.

Everything seems to be going the way it should be in the world.

So, nothing can go wrong… right?


	2. Betrayal

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** Sorry it took a long time for the first chapter to be posted. I did have four chapters done, but then stupid me accidentally saved something over it and everything I did was gone. So, I had to redo the whole thing again. As of right now I'm still working on the next few chapters. I don't know when I'll post those. **

**If you don't remember from my intro, my story takes place three years **_**after **_**the 100 year war ended. So, imagine everyone a little older. Not much has changed in the personalities though LOL. Also, you'll find that the chapter is really long. The reason for this is I viewed my story as an actual continuation of the cartoon series and thought of them a full length episodes. One other thing… I came up with this story before I knew anything about the Legend of Korra so, in no way shape or form is my story related to the creators continuation of the story. **

**As you read the story you'll find that I've separated the chapters into Acts. So, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Since the chapter is so long, if you find out you like it, but then end up having to do something else even though you want to continue reading, just remember what Act you're in and VOILA! You'll be able to find your spot lol. **

**Well, I hope you find the beginning of the story suspenseful, entertaining,… and maybe even a little… mysterious :D ENJOY! ^.^**

**

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****Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter One: Betrayal**

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**Act 1**

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A Fire Nation messenger hawk soared through the mid afternoon sky over the South Pole. It was looking for the person receiving the message. It glanced down and saw two, young Water Tribe natives each walking with a basket of fish. One of those natives was the receiver. The hawk let out a caw and flew down next to them. Katara and Sokka watched as the hawk landed beside them.

Katara gasped. "Another letter from Aang."

She quickly placed down her basket of fish, received the letter from its container on the hawks back, and sat down where she stood. Sokka quickly placed down his basket as well and joined her; excited about possible good news he might hear.

"Ooh, I wonder if Zuko answered my question," Sokka said with excitement.

Katara looked at him curiously. "Yeah, what did you ask him? I forgot."

"I asked him if it would be possible to, I don't know, get us all back together one day and maybe do a little shopping."

"Oh… right… why did you ask him that?"

"Hey, you know me. I love to shop for new things, besides there's nothing to buy her in the South Pole and you know I need to get a new sword since I lost my space one. Also, wouldn't it be fun if we all just got together again?"

"Yes, it would but-"

"And you'll be able to see your boyfriend again," Sokka teased as he nudged her with his elbow.

Katara blushed and looked at him annoyed. "That's true but-"

"Hey! Maybe we could even throw one big part. You know, to celebrate our reunion and togetherness and our friendship."

"Right…" Katara said still looking at him annoyed. She then teases right back, "Well Sokka you're always thinking. So… how 'bout we just read the letter now." She began to read:

"Dear Katara and Sokka,

Things seem to be finally turning around. After negotiating for so many years with the other nations and regaining the trust and honor of the Fire Nation, I think we can say that our work is done. Now, I'm glad to say, and I also know that Zuko is relieved, that we can finally start looking for Zuko's mother!"

Katara's eyes started to water and she smiled. She was so happy for Zuko. She knew how much he really missed her. The only thing no one knew… was if Ursa was still alive or did she, sadly… pass away. Katara snapped out of her thought and continued to read:

"I hope you're happy for him guys. I know now he can finally start having an old piece of his life back… I know that because he told me. I can tell he really misses her.

We have one more meeting left and it's about where to start searching for his mom. Once the meeting is over we should be able to fly over to the South Pole on Appa and see everyone. I can't wait! I really miss you.

Well, that's all that's happening here. I'll see you soon. I love you Katara.

Aang"

"What!" Sokka yelled, completely ignoring the good news. "Zuko never answered my question."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh just wait I'm not done reading yet. There's a little more at the bottom." She reads:

"From Zuko to Sokka: Maybe."

"'Maybe?'" Sokka yelled unpleased. "What kind of answer is that? He's the Fire Lord. He should be able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants."

Katara scolded, "He can, but like you just said, 'He's the Fire Lord.' He's very busy. For three years now he's been writing letters, sending them out, taking private trips out to the other nations to talk face to face with the Earth King and Chief Arnook of the North Pole."

"But you heard Aang," Sokk countered back. "He's done with all that stuff."

"But he still has a lot on his mind. He's focusing on finding his mother now."

Sokka realized how right she was. He knew how Zuko felt and would be doing the same thing Zuko's was doing if he were to find his mother. He then said sympathetically, "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. My question wasn't really that important anyway." He was silent for a few seconds then added, "You know, I am happy that Zuko's able to find his mom. How 'bout you?"

Katara looked at him softly and smiled. "Of course I am." She touched her necklace and her eyes started to water again. "I would give anything to know that our mother was alive and there was a chance that we could be with her again." A tear rolled down her cheek.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, me too."

There was a moment of silence between them. They remembered their mother and were so happy that Zuko was able to find his… even if it did mean that maybe she wasn't around anymore. Katara remembered their mother's smiles and warm hugs. Even Sokka could remember a few of them. It was difficult, but if he thought really hard, he could. They gazed out into the ocean and, simply, just thought. Their father, Hakoda, came by searching for his children and finally found them.

"Hey kids!" Hakoda called out to them and it snapped them out of their thoughts as they turned to look at him. "Hurry up and bring the fish in so we can start cooking them up."

"Coming dad," Sokka called back.

Hakoda smiled and walked back home. Katara and Sokka stood up, picked up their baskets, and started to walk back to the village; with the hawk trailing right behind them.

"When you send a letter back," Sokka began to Katara so he could change the subject, "maybe I could ask Zuko a more practical question."

Katara smiled and teased, "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"If he could bring over some of the Fire Nation market's delicious meats because I haven't had that in like, three years."

Katara chuckled. "You know, I think I like the question you asked him before better."

They continued walking home. Things had changed in the past three years to the Southern Water Tribe. The village had actual sized homes with everything you need inside, a small wall around the village made out of ice, people wore better clothing, and even a river that flowed through the middle of the entire village with a mini waterfall made out of stones. The village had come a long way and everyone was happy. Things couldn't get any better.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set. The Fire Nation palace was illuminated in the warm colors and looked very peaceful. Zuko and Aang walked side-by-side through the main hall, headed towards the hall that led to the throne room. They were headed for the meeting that was about to start.

"Zuko!" Someone called out.

Zuko and Aang looked over to the main entrance to see Mai walking toward them. Zuko grinned big and Mai had a small smile on her face.

"Mai!" Zuko called out excited. He hugged her for a brief moment and then said, "I guess this means your father is already here for the meeting."

"He is…" Mai's smile faded and she became uncomfortable. "…Can I speak to you alone. It's important."

"Sure," Zuko said without sensing her discomfort. He then said to Aang, "You go on ahead to the meeting Aang. I'll be there soon."

Aang nodded with a smile and walked out of the main hall.

"I'm really glad you're here," Zuko said to Mai still smiling. "I have something I wanted to ask you."

"You should let me speak first Zuko," Mai said to stop him from saying anything else. She took a deep breath and Zuko finally saw that something was bothering her. "It's about… us." She waited for Zuko to say something, but he didn't. He looked away and nodded in a way that showed he understood what she was going to say. Mai decided to continue. "I know we've been together for a long time, but… I think we keep drifting farther apart. We haven't had any time alone together at all."

"But Mai," Zuko said softly, "that's going to happen when you're the Fire Lord. I have other duties I have to take care of and I know I haven't been around much these past few years, but that's because I had to regain the honor of the Fire Nation. Yes, it's taken a long time, and it's been a little longer than I expected, but now we can put that all aside. The Fire Nation has its honor back and I'll make sure it stays that way. So, I'll be home now and we can spend more time together…" He was telling the truth, but he feared that what he was about to say next might end up making this breakup happen or, hopefully, when he asked the question, it wouldn't, "… but I do need to find my mother and bring her home. Which brings me to the question I want to ask you. Would you like to come with me when I look for my mother?"

Mai looked at him surprised. She didn't think that he would ask something like that. She hesitated before speaking, but managed to croak out, "… Zuko… I…" She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Zuko grew concerned. He had never seen Mai cry and realized something. "It's more than just not spending enough time together, isn't it?"

Mai looked at the floor. She couldn't bare to look at him anymore. "… There's someone else." Zuko eyes grew wide. He didn't expect that. "... We've been seeing each other for a few months now. He was there for me when you couldn't be."

"But, I can be there for you _now_ Mai." He didn't want this breakup to happen.

"I know, but… things just happen Zuko."

"Mai, please-"

"It's over between us… I'm sorry."

Zuko looked at her compassionately and tried to caress her. "… Mai…"

Mai took his hand away before he could even touch her cheek. She finally looked into his eyes and saw his pain. She tried her best to hold back the tears that threatened to fall down. "Just know that this is the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. Goodbye Zuko."

With that she let go of his hand and walked away, back to the main entrance. She didn't dare look back. Zuko watched her with a pained look on his face. He couldn't believe what just happened. It all came so fast. He wanted to go after her, but his feet wouldn't move. It felt like he was rooted to the floor and a sea of hurt and confusion was around him. Time seemed to stand still. Mai continued to walk and still didn't look back. The tears that were forming had finally fallen down her cheeks. This really was the hardest thing that she ever had to do.

Once Mai had left, Zuko went to the meeting. He stood before the curtain that led to the throne room. He took a deep breath to compose himself after what had happened and then put a confident face on. He opened the curtain and stepped into the room with every ounce of authority he had as Fire Lord. He saw all the generals and admirals sitting around the map that was once used for the war, but is now being used for a better reason.

"Sorry I'm late everyone," Zuko announced to the people in the room as he walked to his throne. "There was a certain problem that had to be taken care of."

He sat down at his throne with Aang sitting next to him at his right hand and looked out at the people in the room. They were ready for the meeting to finally start.

"If I may my Lord," a general spoke out. "I would like to start." Zuko nodded in approval. "All of us were taking the time to plan on how many ships should be at each nation…"

Aang leaned over to Zuko as the general spoke and whispered, "Is everything ok with you and Mai?"

"I'll tell you later," Zuko whispered back.

It was better if he told Aang after the meeting. He wanted his thoughts focused on the plan to find his mother, not the breakup that had just broken his heart.

* * *

Night had finally fallen. The sky was clear and the stars were visible. It was going to be a mild night compared to some of the warm nights the Fire Nation had experience the past few weeks. The guards enjoyed the mild breeze as they guarded the prison, but stayed focused on what they were supposed to be doing. Yet, they did not see who was nearby. A man in a black cloak calmly walked up to the entrance and entered undetected. His hood was pulled up and his eyes remained unseen. The only visible part was his nose, mouth, and chin.

He walked throughout the prison and finally found the cell he was searching for. As he approached the cell door, a guard had turned the corner ahead of him. The guard was calm, but stopped suddenly when he saw the man. He stood in defense mood; not sure if the man would attack.

"Hey!" The guard yelled. "What are you doing-" The guard realized who the man was and was shocked. He quickly bowed in the man's presence. "Please forgive me sir. I didn't know it was you."

The man in the black cloak didn't say a word and walked into the cell, closing the door behind him. The guard looked up and noticed the man was gone. He stood up and quickly continued down the hall, whistling as if nothing happened.

The man stood before the prisoner in the room. The room was dark and the prisoner sat on the floor with messy hair in front of his face. The man knew who the prisoner was and realized that he had lost some weight during his three years in jail. Ozai looked up to the man. He gave the dark figure a curious look.

"Who are you?" Ozai asked.

The man didn't move. He just looked at Ozai as he said, "I'm the person who's going to help you."

The man's voice was smooth, matured, and calm. Just by saying one word, his voice makes anyone realize that he's a person who never gets mad and stays calm in any situation. He knows what he's doing. To Ozai, the voice even seemed cold. The man spoke with no emotion. His very presence made everyone quiver; even Ozai quivered a little, but quickly stopped himself.

"Help?" Ozai asked. "How can you possibly help?"

The man finally walked over to Ozai. He walked with a steady pace and the cloak floated with him. If it wasn't for the sound of his footsteps, he would have given the appearance that he was flying.

The man kneeled down in front of Ozai, with only the metal bars separating them, and said, "I have a plan to make you Fire Lord again."

* * *

**Act 2**

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"How can you possibly make me Fire Lord again when my son's the new Fire Lord and the Avatar is out there?" Ozai asked with curiosity.

"Believe me I know a way," the man replied. "It will take some time, but it will pay off and don't worry about the Avatar or anyone else, because no one will be able to stop us."

Ozai didn't reply right away. He continued looking at the man curiously, trying to figure out what he was all about. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm going to go along with your plan. As much as I would love to become Fire Lord again, your self-assurance doesn't seem good enough. Besides, how can I be any help to you when I can't firebend anymore?"

The man didn't flinch. He stayed completely calm. "But I haven't even told you the plan yet." There was a shot silence as the man waited for Ozai to say something. When he didn't, the man continued with something he knew would interest Ozai. "What if I told you that I _could _get you to have your firebending back?"

The man was right. It did interest Ozai. "Explain your plan to me."

The man smiled sinisterly with accomplishment.

* * *

"What do you think of this plan my Lord?" The general said to Zuko.

"I think the layout of the ships are good," Zuko replied. "One ship at each of the Water Tribes and one ship at each port in the Earth Kingdom. Although, I don't think we need a ship in the Southern Water Tribe. If my mother was there I would've seen her three years ago." Zuko looked at Aang to acknowledge him. "Don't you agree Aang?"

"Yes I do," Aang agreed. "The village in the Water Tribe is very small with very few people. It would be easy to spot her there. I think our best bet would be the Earth Kingdom. It's large and has many villages. If she's not in any of those villages then I would have to say our best chance would be Ba Sing Se."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Zuko then acknowledged everyone in the room. "So, the plan will be to have one ship in the Northern Water Tribe and one ship at each port in the Earth Kingdom."

"Excuse me my Lord, I don't mean to speak out against you, but wouldn't the nations think that we are invading their land again?"

"Don't worry about that," Zuko assured. "I will send a message to the nations before we leave to inform them what will be going on… so, the plan is set. Everyone get a good nights rest and we will prepare the ships in the morning. At noon, we leave."

* * *

"So, your plan is to attack the Water Tribes first and then the Earth Kingdom," Ozai said to repeat the man's plan over to make sure he understood what the man was saying. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"A lunar eclipse is approaching," the man replied. "Fortunately, they usually last a few hours. That gives us plenty of time to attack and conquer them. That will happen as you and I go to the Earth Kingdom."

"But you're still not answering my question. How? My son is the Fire Lord. Everyone is at his command. Once he finds out that I've escaped he'll send people out to capture me _and_ you."

"That's where you're wrong," the man said slyly. Ozai looked at him confused. "Everyone who works for your son… is actually working for me."

"What?" Ozai asked shocked. "How?"

"The day after your son was crowned Fire Lord, I approached one of the generals and told him my plan. He agreed to it and secretly sent a message out to everyone who works for your son. You see, people are still on your side. They still think that the war was a good idea. They want the Fire Nation to rule the world."

Ozai smiled. He was glad to hear the news, but his smiled faded when a thought accord to him. "So, what's in it for you?"

The man shrugged. "Nothing much. All I ask is for you to help me find something, but we'll get to that later." He stood up and took keys out of the sleeve of his cloak to unlock the caged door Ozai was behind. "I know your son is trying to find his mother and my prediction is he's going to prepare the ships in the morning… but little does he know the ships are being prepared as we speak. In the morning, we'll leave. Now, all I need to know is if you're going to go along with the plan or not."

Ozai gave it a little thought and asked a question that the man hadn't replied to. "How are you getting my firebending back?"

"That's something we'll talk about later. You'll just have to trust me. So, are you in or not?"

Ozai glared at the man. He didn't like that his answer had to wait, but replied back, "Fine. I'm in, but I want to break my daughter out too."

The man smiled and chuckled. His laugh had no soul. "I was going to anyway."

In another cell room, Azula sat on the floor in a daze. Her hair was down, messy, and in her face. She wore the clothes of a prisoner. The cell door opened and Ozai walked in. Azula looked up at her father in surprise, but once the man walked in behind Ozai, her surprise turned to confusion. The man opened the barred door and Azula walked out.

"Dad?" Azula asked. "What's going on? How did you get out?"

"I'll explain later," Ozai said, "but right now we need your help."

The man stepped forward and asked Azula, "How would you like to get back at your brother?"

Azula smiled with pleasure. "You don't have to ask me twice."

* * *

Dawn had finally come. Zuko walked through the main hall with two letters in his hand that were ready to be sent out to the Earth Kingdom and the Northern Water Tribe. He was headed toward the main door, but stopped when he saw Aang running into the hall from the same door he was going to.

"Zuko! Zuko!" Aang called out excitedly. He stopped directly in front of Zuko and continued, "I got a reply back from Katara and Sokka."

Zuko smiled and teased, "What makes this one different from any of the other replies?"

"Because this time they said that they want to help find your mother."

"Great! The more help the better," Zuko then added a little more to himself, "… even though my whole army is going to be looking too."

"There's also a little more."

"What is it?"

"Another question from Sokka. He wants to know if we can bring over some of the market's meat when we go to the South Pole to see them."

Zuko looked confused, but curious. "You know, I think I like his other question better… well, I guess we could always bring him some."

Aang chuckled. "Yeah, I guess, and maybe you could ask Mai to come along too."

Zuko hesitated. "Uh, yeah, about that. I forgot to tell you after the meeting… Mai and I-"

"Fire Lord Zuko!" A guard called out in the doorway of the main entrance. Both Zuko and Aang looked in his direction. "There's something going on that you have to see."

Zuko and Aang turned serious and followed the guard outside to the courtyard in front of the palace. They continued to follow until the guard suddenly stopped. Zuko and Aang looked around. They saw nothing but the gate before them that led out into city and the stone ground beneath them.

Zuko looked at the guard confused. "…So, what is it that I have to see?"

The guard smiled and chuckled. "The day your reign of power ends."

What seemed to be out of nowhere, more guards surrounded Zuko and Aang in a circle and closed in around them. They were ready to fight.

* * *

**Act 3**

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**"What's going on here?" Zuko yelled out.

An evil laugh came from outside of the circle. Zuko recognized it without having to see who it was. He was confused. How could she have escaped?

Azula stepped into the circle with an evil smirk. "Isn't it obvious? This is an ambush."

Azula firebended the letters in Zuko's hand. Zuko quickly let go of the papers and the papers fell to the ground, burning into ashes. Azula and the guards firebended at Zuko and Aang, but Zuko and Aang were able to defend themselves and blocked the attacks. Aang airbended a huge blast of air around him and blasted the guards and Azula to cause them into flying backwards.

"I'll take care of the guards," Aang told Zuko.

"All right," Zuko said, "then I'll take care of Azula."

Zuko ran off toward Azula as the guards closed in on Aang again. The guards kept sending blasts of fire at the young Avatar, but Aang expertly blocked their attacks by sending blasts of air at few of the guards and shielded himself with earthbending. He earthbended huge rocks at the rest of the guards he didn't hit yet. Three guards suddenly came up behind him, but he sensed their vibrations in the ground. The guards prepared their attacks, but quickly turned and threw a huge slab of rock at them. They slid far away while screaming. Aang thought he was done and was about to help Zuko, but the guards started to close in again. They wouldn't give up and Aang had to fight them off again.

Zuko and Azula were having a stare down as Aang fought. They waited for who was going to attack first. Zuko firebended at Azula and Azula knocked it away with a hit of her fist. She fire blasted at Zuko and he dodged. They kept firebending at each other and both were expertly blocking and dodging the attacks. Zuko then decides to do something that he knows Azula has never seen him do. He brings his hand back and sparks start to fly at the tips of two of his fingers. Azula saw it and was surprised. It caused her to lose to concentration. Zuko shot swiped the lighting in front of his sister. He didn't want to hit her. He wasn't cold hearted, but it did cause Azula to reel back and that's exactly what he wanted. He knew she couldn't redirect it and knew she would be shocked. Azula fell and Zuko saw it has an opening to firebend. Azula watched as the fire came at her, but she quickly stood back up and firebended at his attack. Blue and red flames collide and swirl in the air as they intertwined. It's just a matter of, who is stronger?

Zuko is.

His flame started to engulf his sisters. Azula felt herself being pushed back a little. She tried to firebend harder, but it didn't work. His flames were too strong. A few drops of sweat fell down Azula's face as she tried harder.

Just when it seemed like Zuko was going to win, the man in the black cloak comes running in from the left of Azula and pushed her out of the way. Azula fell and the man firebended a powerful blast at Zuko. The blast was so strong it made Zuko's flames disappear in a matter of seconds and sent Zuko flying back so hard that he hit Aang. They flew back far and crashed into the front steps of the palace.

The guards stood off to the side as they watched the man approach Aang and Zuko. Debris filled the air and Aang and Zuko coughed as it filled their lungs. As the debris dispersed, they saw the man walking towards them and they quickly stood up ready to fight. A hard crash to the stone steps wasn't going to stop them. The man stopped and watched to see what they were going to do.

Aang stepped forward fire blasted with the same force the man had done on Zuko, but the man was able to block it with just a simple wave of both his arms. The man firebended back and Aang dodged it, but only by an inch. The man was fast. They blasts a few more blasts at each other and both equally blocked and dodged, with Aang becoming close to getting his a few times. They are both equally matched. Aang decides to earthbend a piece of land beneath the man to send up flying in the air, but, not knowing it, the man sense what Aang was going to do. It was just like how Toph taught Aang to do, to feel the vibrations in the earth. When Aang's attack commences, the man pushes off the piece of land, does a flip in the air, and fire blasted at Aang again. Aang was shocked that the man knew about the attack, but Aang didn't lose his focus and dodged. The man landed back on the ground and him and Aang firebend at each other gain.

Zuko watched the two fight and waited to see if he needed to step in. He was confused though. How could the man know of Aang's attack? A shot of lightning shot in front of him and made him snap out of his thought. He looked to his left in the direction the lighting had come from and saw Azula standing there. His sister shot lightning at him again and he dodged. Together, they shot lightning at each other as the fight with the man and Aang went on.

Azula eventually found an opening and out maneuvered Zuko. She firebended at him and it sent him crashing into the ground. Zuko didn't move. Azula gazed down at him and realized that he was unconscious, but it didn't last long. Zuko began to slowly open his eyes and Azula quickly swiped the crown off of Zuko head, causing his hair to fall in front of his face. Zuko saw what happened, but Azula was too fast as she ran off and Zuko couldn't get up in time.

Azula ran off to the side and stopped where the man could hear her. She saw him and Aang continue to fight. She was amazed of how they were equally matched. She could tell the man was strong, but she didn't know he was that strong.

She quickly snapped out of her thought and yelled out to the man, "I've got it! I've got it!"

The man glanced over to Azula and saw the crown in her hand. To end his fight with the Avatar, he blasted a strong whirl of fire at him. Aang tried to fight it off, but it didn't work. The blast was too strong for him. He was blasted into the air and hit the palace… hard. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Zuko ran over to Aang, ignoring the theft of his crown, and gently tried to shake Aang awake. "Aang." He didn't get a response. "Aang! Wake up. Come on."

"You're done Zuko," a familiar voice said. Zuko looked behind to see his father standing a short distance away in between Azula and the man… holding the crown. "I'm going to be the Fire Lord once again."

"No," Zuko said to himself in disbelief.

The man, Azula, and the guards firebend at Zuko, but before they could really attack, Zuko had already placed Aang on his shoulder and ran, carrying Aang to the back courtyard of the palace. Fire breathed down Zuko's neck as he was being chased. He knew he had no chance of staying to fight and defend himself and Aang. The man was too strong, he was out numbered, and Aang was unconscious. His best bet was to escape.

He was to get a good distance between him and the enemy and finally reached the courtyard, heading for the huge, wooded animal shelter. He crashed through the door, scaring Appa and Momo. Appa screamed a roar and Momo jumped high into the air. Zuko ignored the fact he scared his animal friends and climbed on Appa's back. He placed Aang down gently on Appa's saddle. Momo flew back down and sat next to Aang as Zuko climbed on Appa's head and took hold of the reigns.

"Yip yip! Yip yip!" Zuko called out to command the flying bison.

Appa obeyed and flew out of the shelter. The enemy had finally reached Zuko, but they watched as the Fire Lord and the Avatar flew away.

"The plan is working," the man said. He then turned to look at Ozai standing behind him. "We are one step closer to getting your firebending back and making you Fire Lord again." Ozai smiles. "Now, let's get to the ships so we can set sail and start our mission to conquer the nations."

* * *

Appa flew over the calm ocean. The sun had risen a little higher into the sky. Aang slowly opened his eyes. He felt himself in the air and thought that he was still flying backwards after just getting hit, but then he realized he was on Appa's saddle. He sat up rubbing the back of his head that still hurt and looked around at his surroundings. He was in the air all right, but at least this time it was on Appa. He looked in front of him and saw Zuko sitting on the opposite side of the saddle staring out at his nation… sulking.

"We lost, didn't we?" Aang asked mournfully.

"I can't believe it," Zuko replied without giving a yes or no answer. "I was run out of my own kingdom. I let down all my people."

"It's not your fault Zuko." Aang was trying to comfort him. "You didn't know that everyone who works for you was going to betray you. Heck, did anyone think that a man in a cloak was going to release your dad and sister? I sure didn't."

Zuko looked away from his nation and turned his back to it. He couldn't bare to look at it anymore. He hung his head and didn't look at Aang as he spoke. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, but… I can't help but think that everything that you and I have worked so hard for with creating peace between the nations is all gone now, just when we had finished. The nations are going to think that I've decided to follow in my father's footsteps."

"Zuko don't think like that. The people in the nations know who and how you are. They know that you're against your father. Maybe not from the beginning, like chasing me around, burning down villages, pushing people around, but in the end you were and…" Aang then realized something. "… I guess I'm not really helping."

"It's all right Aang. I'll be ok, but I don't think the other nations will be. That man knows what he's doing and I bet he has a plan to have my father try to conquer the nations. It looks like the world is in trouble once again."

"I know and the weird thing is the man is evenly powered with me. How can that be? I thought the Avatar was always the strongest bender."

"I don't know Aang, but I do know that we need to gather up everyone and help stop the Fire Nation again."

Silence fell between the two. A cloud hovered overhead them, leaving them in a shadow. The thought of everything that had just happened weighted on their shoulders. Who was this man? He certainly knew what he was doing, but why? Why is he doing this? Why does he need Ozai, Azula, and the Fire Nation army? Nothing made sense to Aang and Zuko. Aang also had another thought come to him. He looked at Zuko and bit his lower lip. He wasn't sure if he should ask him, but he needed to know the answer.

"Zuko," Aang spoke out to break the silence, "… what about your mother?"

Zuko sighed. He didn't answer right away, but finally said, "… I guess we'll just have to put finding her on hold again."

Aang hung his head. He was sad for Zuko. He wanted Ursa to be found. Zuko wanted that too. It's been too long since her disappearance. He needed to know if she was still alive. He needed to know the truth. Hopefully, she was still around to tell it to him. Momo sensed Zuko's sadness and hopped on his shoulder. He gave him a few licks as a kiss on his cheek. He looked at Zuko to see if he would smile, but he didn't. Momo purred in disappointed and hung his head as well.

* * *

The head Fire Nation ship sailed through the ocean. No other ships were behind it. Those ships had already set sailed in their own directions. The man stood on deck leaning on the railing and looked at Ozai and Azula. He knew they would have questions… or at least Ozai would.

"So," Ozai began, "are you going to inform me on how you're getting my firebending back?"

The man replied calm and collected, "How I'm getting your firebenidng back is by everyone helping me get what I want in return for helping you… a book."

Ozai looked at him confused and asked outraged, "A book? How is a book going to get my firebending back?"

The man ignored Ozai's little outburst and stayed calm. "This isn't just any ordinary book. This book holds many answers that people don't normally think about. One of those answers will be on how to get your bending back. So, if you want your bending back and you want to become Fire Lord again, you'll help me find this book."

"How am I supposed to help you?" Ozai asked still a little outraged.

"By listening closely to facts, staying with me at all times, and then staying away from we when I'm fighting because I believe there will be a lot of that going on. As for Azula," He looks at the princess, "I have a special task for you and I know you'll have no problem doing it since you've done it many times before.'

Azula looked at him curiously. She wasn't sure about the man, but she did like how he thinks.

Ozai looked at the man confused still. He needed to know something. "Who are you anyway? What's your name?"

The man smiled. He knew that question would come up. "I'm a man whose story is too long and complicated to tell… but I will tell you my name and show you my face."

The man removed his hood. Ozai and Azula looked at him wide-eyed. His eyes frightened them. They were gold, just like many people from the Fire Nation, but they had a cold, intense look. It was like his stare pierced through your soul. It was deadly. One look, and anyone knew not to mess with him. His expression was calm and confident. If his presence wasn't frightful enough, his expression and stare added more to it. His hair was black and was cut a little like Zuko's, but shorter. His skin was very pale. Any paler and he would've looked like a ghost.

Finally, he spoke one more time and said, "My name… is Rikiya."

* * *

**AUTHORS' NOTE: I'm sorry Maiko fans! I know you probably hate me for breaking them up LOL but just to let you know, I'm really not into the whole shipping thing. I do have to admit, however, that I never cared too much for Maiko. I always thought Mai was too gloomy for him, but there's another reason why I broke them up and you'll see next chapter. **

**I hope you enjoyed my new character, Rikiya. I wanted to create someone who's worse than Ozai… I hope I pull through lol and omg that fight sequence was hard to write. I hope it made sense. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Until then, thanks for reading! ^.^**


	3. Lunar Eclipse, Part 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** All right here's the next chapter! YAY! I realized that on the last chapter I forgot to mention the pronunciation for Rikiya's name because not everyone is going to know how to pronounce it. Well, it's pronounced (REE kee yah) and it means "strong one". That's according to a baby names website I saw it on. There are also three new characters who are going to be introduced in this chapter. I'll just get to their pronunciations as well. They're names are, Tomoki (TOH moh kee) meaning "wise tree," Tomomi (TOH moh mee) meaning "wisdom and beauty," and, finally, Tomoya (TOH moh yah) meaning "wise one". So, I guess they're all just wise… in their own, bizarre, little way… heh heh ^.^; And yes, there is a reason as to why their names sound similar. I hope they make you laugh! **

**To give you a little warning, there will be a dream/vision sequence in this chapter. It will be the only thing in italics. Enjoy the chapter and thank you for reading! ^.^**

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter Two: Lunar Eclipse, Part 1**

**Invasion on the Water Tribes**

* * *

**Act 1**

* * *

Appa continued to fly over the ocean. It was past midnight and Aang and Zuko had finally spotted the South Pole. The weather had become terribly cold. Luckily, they had already loaded Appa's saddle with warm coats and already put them on to be prepared for the harsh weather. They began to fly over the snow-covered land and saw the village in sight, but Appa flew down in exhaustion and landed too far away from the village. With how tired everyone was; it was just too far to walk.

"I think Appa's too tired to go any further," Zuko mentioned half asleep.

"That's ok," Aang said tiredly. "Everyone in the village is probably asleep anyway. We'll just camp here tonight and go to the village first thing in the morning. Besides," he gave a big yawn, "I'm tired myself."

"Yeah, me too."

Zuko jumped of Appa as Aang searched for something on Appa's saddle and called out, "Well, at least one good thing happened."

"What's that?" Zuko asked as he looked up at Aang.

Aang held up what he was looking for with a big smile; a sleeping bag. "We packed a day early."

Zuko smiled. The young monk amused him.

Within no time everyone was asleep. Aang and Zuko slept in separate sleeping bags on the ground, the saddle was off of Appa and he slept on his back while snoring, and Momo slept on Appa's stomach. As Aang snored softly, he began to toss and turn in his sleep as he dreamed.

_He stood alone. He could only see the stone ground beneath him and his surroundings were a white fog. He couldn't see anything beyond it. It was too thick._

_"What is this place?" Aang asked himself as he walked forward. "Where am I?" He stopped and called out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"_

_A childish laugh was heard above him. He looked up and saw an airbender girl flying on a glider. He tried to get a good look at her, but she was moving too fast. Finally, she landed gracefully in front of him. She looked around his age, with a big, sweet smile, a childish face, and long brown hair that went a little past her shoulders. Her hair wasn't shaved like most monks and she didn't even have an arrow. Her eyes were big and kind. Aang knew he had nothing to be afraid about._

_"Who are you?" Aang asked the young girl. "What is this place?"_

_"Come with me," the girl said with a smile. She then turned around and ran off. "Hurry!"_

_"Wait!" Aang yelled out as he ran after her. "Where are you taking me?" He kept running after her, but it seemed like he couldn't keep up. She was getting ahead of him. "Wait! I can't keep up."_

_The girl laughed, but didn't slow down or turn back to look at him. "Hurry up."_

_Aang tried to run faster, but she kept getting farther away. "Please slow down."_

_The girl continued to run. "Come on. Hurry."_

_She kept running and then disappeared in the white fog. She wasn't visible anymore._

_"Wait!" Aang called out again. "Where'd you go?"_

_The girl's laughter was heard. Aang tried to run to her, but he couldn't move any faster. He was losing her and she wanted to show him something… but what?_

_"Aang… Aang…" Zuko's voice called out around him. "… Aang… Aang…"_

"Aang," Zuko said as he gently tried to shake Aang awake. "Aang wake up."

"I gotta keep running," Aang said in his sleep.

"Aang wake up. Come on."

"I can't lose her."

"Aang wake up."

Aang slowly woke up and sat up rubbing his eyes. "What? What's wrong?"

Zuko looked at him groggy. He could barely keep his eyes open and his hair was a mess. "You were talking in your sleep."

"Oh, I was?"

"Yeah. You said that you had to keep running and you couldn't lose her. What was it exactly you were dreaming about?"

"I don't know, but it was weird."

Zuko nodded and shrugged. He was too tired to care about whether Aang wanted to talk about it or not. "Well, let's get back to sleep. We need our rest."

The moment Zuko's head hit his pillow he fell back to sleep. Aang curled back up in his sleeping bag. He couldn't fall back to sleep as fast as Zuko. It wasn't because of Appa's loud snoring, Momo's purring as he slept, or Zuko's soft snores. It was because of the dream. Who was the girl? What did she want to show him? Or maybe she was just playing with him. He didn't know if his dream meant anything, but it didn't take long for sleep to overcome him. Soon, his eyes were closed and he filled the night with his own light snoring.

* * *

Morning had finally come. Katara came out of her home looking wide-awake and refreshed. She gave a small yawn and looked up at the beautiful morning sky. It was clear with only a few clouds, but she was ready to take on the day. She looked around and didn't see Sokka beside her.

She poked her head back inside the house and yelled, "Sokka! Hurry up and get dressed. We have chores to do."

"I'm coming. I'm coming," Sokka called back to her.

He finally stepped out of the house. His hair was down and messy, his shirt hung off his shoulder and was un-tucked because he was still trying to tie on his pants, and his eyes were still heavy.

Katara chuckled and teased, "Well, someone looks like they had a rough night."

"Not true," Sokka said, "I actually slept really well. I just hate the waking up part."

Katara rolled her eyes and teased again, "Yeah, ok caveman, straighten yourself out and then come and help me get the boat ready so we can do more fishing."

"More?" Sokka complained. "I thought we caught enough yesterday so we could have some today."

"We did, but you had to go and eat most of it."

"Oh, right."

Katara smiled and walked away shaking her head as her brother still tried to dress himself properly. She headed for the boat outside of the village and saw something far off in the land. She looked closely and saw that it was snow blowing up in the air. She was confused. What could be causing that? She walked to the area, even though it was a far distance, and found what was causing it. Appa was the one blowing the snow as he was snoring.

Katara gasped when she realized it was her friends and she yelled excited, "You're here!"

She scared them. Momo jumped high in the air, Aang and Zuko sat up screaming, and Appa screamed in a roar. Aang and Zuko stopped screaming to catch their breath, but ended up screaming again as they saw Appa rolling over… on top of them! Appa landed on them and Momo flew back down on Appa's back.

"Oh my gosh!" Katara gasped. She ran over to Appa and tried to shoo him away. "Appa get off of them quick."

Appa stood up to reveal Aang and Zuko imbedded in the snow. The young men groaned as they look up at their friend.

Katara smiled at them innocently. "Hi guys."

"Hi… Katara…" Zuko and Aang groaned.

Katara chuckled as they continued to groan. What a wake up call that was!

* * *

The main Fire Nation ship still sailed through the water. It had a long way to go until it reached the Earth Kingdom. Rikiya, the hansom young man in his mid-twenties, stood out on deck looking out into the ocean. The ocean seemed calm and peaceful, but with Rikiya looking out into it… it looked deadly. It was frightening that a man of his age could make something seem that way and even strike a terrible dread of fear in people.

Ozai came out on deck dressed in some of his old Fire Lord clothes. He didn't know how Rikiya got them, but he didn't care. It felt good to wear them again. The only thing he didn't wear was the crown. Since he wasn't Fire Lord just yet, he didn't feel obligated to wear it. So, he decided to keep his hair in an empty topknot.

Ozai walked up to Rikiya and asked, "So, when does the attack on the Water Tribes happen?"

Without turning around Rikiya answered, "Later on in the day." He then turned to face Ozai and realized someone was missing. "Where's Azula?"

As if on cue, Azula walked on deck. Like Ozai, she was wearing her old clothes too, but she looked exactly like how she used to with her crown and all.

"Ah, good," Rikiya said as Azula approached him. "Just the person I wanted to talk to. I have a very special mission for you."

Azula looked at him curiously. She'd been waiting to hear what it was. "Yeah? What is it?"

"A ship is going to the South Pole," Rikiya explained. Again, as if on cue, the ship stopped and another ship stopped to the right beside them. A bridge dropped to link the two. "It's the only one going to conquer it and I want you to be on it."

"Why do _I_ need to go to the South Pole?"

"Because I believe that your brother has friends in the South Pole, does he not?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Rikiya sighed in annoyance. "_So,_ after your brother was run out of his kingdom the first place him and the Avatar went to would probably be the South Pole. I want you to hold them back as much as you can so it would make the job of having to conquer the nations and finding the book a whole lot easier…" he smirked, "… but…"

Azula wasn't so sure about the smirk. "But what?"

"Well, I know you're strong and you can fight well, but you won't be able to do it on your own. On the ship there are a few people of the army who are assigned to help you. They'll tell you who they are once you're on the ship, but I also brought someone else. Someone you know…" He then called out to an opened entryway on deck, "Come on out."

A dark silhouette walked down the hall. Azula and Ozai watched as the figure stepped into the light. First it showed at the feet and as the person walked closer to go on deck, the light moved up. Inch by inch the light revealed the person. When that person was finally fully on deck, Azula looked shocked at who she saw. Rikiya was right. She did know the person. Standing before her… was Mai.

* * *

**Act 2**

* * *

"Mai?" Azula asked shocked. "_You're_ going along with this plan?"

"I've changed my mind about the Fire Nation," Mai said dully. "I think this plan is a good idea."

Azula then looked at her curiously. "And what about my brother?"

Mai shrugged. "It's over between us."

"So, you'll be ok if you have to fight him?"

"Like I said, 'I think this plan is a good idea.' I'll do anything I have to do to see it succeed."

Azula smiled and gave her old friend a hug. She then looked into her eyes and said, "I'm so glad you're back, Mai."

Mai gave no expression. "It's good to be back."

"Ok ladies," Rikiya said bored, "enough of this love fest. It's time to start your journey. You may arrive at the South Pole a little before the eclipse so you will have to fight, but I know you won't hold back."

"You're right," Azula agreed, "I won't." She walked on the bridge to travel on the other ship with Mai trailing right behind her. Azula smirked and said to herself, "And I can't wait for some payback."

* * *

Katara led Aang and Zuko to the village and watched as their jaws dropped at the changes that had been done to the South Pole.

Katara smiled. "So, what do you think of the change to the place?"

"It's amazing!" Aang said enthusiastically.

"My grandfather Master Pakku, the other waterbenders who came over from the North Pole, and I rebuilt it with our waterbending. Pakku's the one who decided to give the village a little more spark. Come on, I'll take you to my house."

As she led Aang and Zuko to her house, they were able to see everything and everyone in the village. Kids were playing outside throwing snowballs and chasing each other as their parents were out in front of their homes, lighting campfires. Kids even started to swarm around Appa to play with him by sliding on his tail and Momo decided to join in. The river flowed peacefully and a few children splashed in it as their mothers came by and told them to get out of the water. Everyone was living happily in the South Pole and it made the terrible event that happened at the Fire Nation seem to never exist… but it did. Zuko and Aang knew they would have to give the news soon.

"The village did get a little bigger after the war," Katara said as they walked. "Some of the people who were captured a long time ago came back. We ended up gaining three more waterbenders!" She reached her home. "Well, here we are. My house."

She opened the door and the three of them stepped in. Aang and Zuko saw the whole family… Pakku, Gran Gran (Kana), Hakoda, and Sokka. The aroma of hot soup filled the home. It had finally occurred to Aang and Zuko that they were starving.

"Hey everyone!" Katara said excitedly to her family. "Look who I found."

Everyone smiled. It was great to see them again.

Sokka ran over to his old friends and gave them a quick, _manly_ hug. "Hey! You're here." He then looked at Katara. "I was wondering where you went to Katara. I went to the boat and you weren't there."

"Sorry about that Sokka," Katara apologized, but then added brightly, "but you have to admit, bringing two friends home after not seeing them for a long time is better."

"Tell me about it!" Sokka clapped Zuko on the back. "So, how long are we planning on staying here? 'Cause, I don't know if you got our letter before you left, but we want to help find your mom Zuko."

"We did get the letter," Zuko replied, but then added seriously, "but something's happened in the Fire Nation that you all need to know about. You might want to sit down."

Everyone saw how serious Zuko was. Gran Gran continued to cook soup as everyone sat in a circle on the floor. Zuko told them everything that happened, but he actually forgot to mention about the breakup between him and Mai. It wasn't as important as the rest of the story. At least, as much as he knew, it wasn't. Aang jumped into the conversation every once in a while to mention how strong "the man" was and that he was equally matched with him. He still couldn't get over that. When the terrible news was over no one spoke. They sat there letting it all sink in. They couldn't believe it.

"This is bad," Sokka said out loud to no one in particular. "This is really bad."

"Tell me about it," Zuko said.

"So, do you know how this man is planning on making your dad Fire Lord again?" Katara asked.

Zuko shook his head. "No, but I know that he knows what it is he's doing and if he's planning on making my father Fire Lord again then he's planning on having him conquer all the nations. No one's safe anymore and who's going to be invaded first, I don't know. Maybe the Water Tribes, but the best thing that your village can do is to be prepared."

"Don't worry," Hakoda said confidently, "we will be. I'll gather our men and all the waterbenders we have and set up a plan."

Katara then added, "but if the fight lasts into the night the waterbenders won't be able to fight"

"Why's that?" Aang asked.

"There's a lunar eclipse tonight," Katara explained. "So, I think the Water Tribes _are_ going to be attacked first. So, they probably won't come until nightfall or close to it."

"You're right Katara," Hakoda added. "I'll make sure that the plan involves that."

"So, after we send the Fire Nation out of our tribe," Sokka said, "what do we do then guys? Travel the world again and this time, try to stop this new guy?"

"That's the plan," Zuko replied.

Katara had a thought and hesitated to ask, but she couldn't stop herself. "But, Zuko, what about your mother?"

Zuko sighed and hung his head. "… I have to put off finding her again."

Everyone looked at him sadly. They felt so sorry for him. Zuko didn't dare look up. He knew they were staring and he didn't want to show them that there was pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Hakoda said sincerely.

"Thanks," Zuko said, "but it's ok. I'll find her one day."

Katara's eyes watered. She wanted him to find his mother so bad. None of this was right. He shouldn't have to wait any longer.

Gran Gran then added to change the subject, "Well, the soup is ready if anyone wants some."

Everyone stood up to get some, but Katara grabbed a hold of Aang's arm to stop him. He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Katara asked.

"Sure," Aang shrugged.

Katara led Aang to the edge of the ocean, away from the village. She looked out at the ocean, glistening in the sunlight. Aang looked out too, but knew the ocean wasn't the reason she brought him here.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Aang asked.

"Everything," Katara sighed as she looked into her boyfriend's eyes. "Aang, the world's in trouble again. We're going to have to gather everyone up and stop this guy."

"I know, but I don't think it will be easy."

"You're the Avatar Aang. You stopped Ozai before, you can do it again."

"Yeah, but there's this new guy now and the last time I fought him he was evenly matched with me, well, maybe a little stronger. I still can't understand it. The Avatar is supposed to be the strongest bender. How can someone be stronger?"

"I don't know Aang." Katara took his hands in hers. "But I do know that no matter what, we're all going to stick together and end this before it gets out of hand. We can do this… you can do this."

Aang smiled. "Thanks Katara."

Katara was silent for a moment and blushed. "You know Aang, I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too and, even though we have to save and protect the nations, we can be together again."

They both smiled. They were so glad to see each other again and, finally, they leaned in and kissed each other softly.

* * *

Time moved on. It was early afternoon and more than thirty Fire Nation ships sailed through the ocean… closing in on the North Pole.

* * *

**Act 3**

* * *

Chief Arnook sat on his throne bored. There was nothing going on today. It felt like the same day over and over. Sit on the throne, listen to his people's problems, solve those problems, and stay sitting on the throne. He used to not mind it at the least, but ever since he lost Yue… things just hadn't been the same for him. He finally sat tall in his seat as he watched a guard come running into the room. Arnook noticed the young man looked worried and watched as the man bowed in his presence.

"Chief Arnook," the guard said, "some men have spotted Fire Nation ships approaching the Tribe."

Arnook wasn't alarmed. "Maybe it's the Fire Lord coming to negotiate some more."

"I don't think so sir. The last time the Fire Lord was here he only had one ship bring him. This time, there's more… a lot more."

Arnook was concerned now. "'More'… as in a whole army?"

"Maybe not a whole army sir, but enough to where we're out numbered."

Arnook sighed and shook his head. "… Then I guess the Fire Lord has changed his mind about everything…" He looked seriously at the guard and added, "… gather all the soldiers together. It seems like we're going to have a big fight on our hands."

"What about the waterbenders?"

"We'll have them fight as long as they can. Once the lunar eclipse happens… they'll have to retreat."

* * *

Azula's ship sailed towards the South Pole. Azula stood patiently out on deck. She couldn't wait from some revenge. Mai stood beside her, bored as usual. She had no desire for revenge because there really wasn't anything for her to have that sort of feeling. Maybe if she counted Zuko not being with her the past three years, but it wasn't enough to strike revenge on him. Her and Azula looked up as three men walked toward them. They were obviously soldiers. One soldier had a goatee, another had a pointed beard, and the last had no beard. All three were hansom young men. They stood smiling at the two women, but appeared to be serious about what they do.

"Princess Azula," the man with the pointed beard started, "we are the three soldiers that Rikiya has assigned to help you."

"Great," Azula said. "What are your names?"

"Well, my name is Tomoki."

"I'm Tomomi," the man with the goatee to the right of Tomoki added in.

"And I'm Tomoya," the last soldier with no beard to the left of Tomoki added in as well.

Azula and Mai looked at each other as if to say, "Are they for real?"

"Uh, you do know your names sound alike, right?" Azula asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes we do miss," Tomomi answered. "In fact, despite our different beards, or in Tomoya's case no beard, we actually look alike. We're triplets."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "Wait… I've heard of you three. My father used to talk about you all the time."

Tomoki chuckled. He knew her father. "Glad we left a reputation with one of the generals."

"You guys are a bunch of jokesters. It's a good thing you three are one of the top fighters in the army."

Tomoya looked at his brothers and shrugged. "Well men, I guess the serious act didn't work."

All three brothers laughed hysterically while clapping each other on the back. If they laughed any harder they would be rolling around on the floor. Mai rolled her eyes at them and Azula looked at them annoyed. Mai wasn't kidding. These men really were just "a bunch of jokesters."

"Ok, ok, stop," Azula said annoyed. She was already getting tired of them. The brothers stopped and looked at her. "If you are one of the top fighters in the army I expect you to be just that. We are on a mission and I want no screw-ups."

The three men starred at her with wide eyes. They knew Azula meant business.

"Ooh, yes ma'am," Tomoki said with no ounce of a joke in his voice.

"Good. Now, go back to… whatever it was you were doing."

The three men bowed to their princess and walked away. They didn't want to make the princess any more mad than she already was.

Azula rubbed there left temple and sighed. "They're going to be a problem, aren't they?"

"In some ways yes," Mai replied, "but I know that when it comes to fighting they don't back down and they're focused."

"I hope you're right." Azula pushed the thought of the three men who were possibly going to be a nuisance to her out of her head and gave Mai a sly look. "… So, Mai, what made you go along with this plan? I'm curious."

Mai sighed and looked away from Azula's gaze. She was used to the princess always asking her personal questions to figure out what's going inside her head, but she never liked it and never will. "Did Rikiya tell you that he talked to a general about his plan?"

"Yeah, a long while after he broke me out."

"That general was my father. I heard every word that Rikiya said and… I don't know… I just thought it was a good plan and that it could actually work. So, I told him that I wanted in on it."

Azula was still trying to figure Mai out and continued her sly look. "Is that the reason why it's over between you and my brother?"

"Yes, but he doesn't know that. I told him that we didn't spend enough time together and when he wasn't there for me someone else was."

"And is all of that true?"

"Actually, it is."

Azula smiled. "This just keeps getting more fun. I can't wait to see Zuko's face when he sees you…" The smile faded as another thought crossed her mind. "… What about Ty Lee?"

"She's a Kyoshi Warrior now and as far as I know she loves it. I don't think she'll come back to help us, if that's what you're asking."

"Yes, it was." She sighed in disappointment. "Well, you can't have everything."

Azula ended her questions for Mai there. Mai was thankful for that and sighed in relief, but she knew there would be more later. Azula never gives up this easily.

* * *

In the South Pole at mid-noon, Hakoda had gathered everyone he needed to protect the tribe. His soldiers, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Zuko, Pakku, and a few other waterbenders were all there.

"We need to be ready for anything," Hakoda announced to the group. "We don't know how many there are going to be nor do we know when they're going to be there. I expect everyone to do their best. Waterbenders, when the eclipse happens, retreat as fast as you can. Soldiers, keep fighting and don't back down." Everyone nodded and Hakoda looked at Zuko. "Zuko, do you have anything to add? We _are_ fighting against your nation again."

Zuko stood up and looked at the group. He was used to addressing people with strategies. Too bad it had to be in this situation. "You all know what to expect from the Fire Nation. You've fought them before, but I don't know if it's my sister or the man who's planning all this who is coming here, or if it's both. Either way you've never fought them before. All I can tell you is that both are very skillful and deadly firebenders. Be prepared when you fight them."

Aang stood up beside Zuko and announced, "And if I have to, I'll go into the Avatar state."

"No, Aang," Katara said standing up next to him with a worried look. "What it it's Azula coming here. Remember what happened the last time you went into the Avatar state when she was around?"

"Yes, but I'm stronger now. I know all the elements and I know how to control the Avatar state."

"It doesn't matter, it's too risky. If you get shot with lightning in the heart again… I won't be to bring you back and we hardly know anything about this new guy. We don't know what all he's capable of."

"She's right Aang," Hakoda said. "It would be best if you didn't go into the Avatar state."

Aang sighed. He didn't like the idea, but nodded in agreement anyway. "I understand."

Hakoda then acknowledged the whole group again, "Ok everyone, get your weapons ready."

Everyone stood up and did as they were told. Zuko decided that he needed some time alone. He walked out of the village and sat near the edge of the ocean. Watching the small, calm waves seemed to ease his thoughts and pain. Katara happened to glance over. She walked to him and joined him by the edge, watching the waves too. She understood the turmoil that was inside him.

Katara looked at him with kind eyes and simply said, "Hey."

"Hey," he said back without looking at her.

She waited a few seconds before speaking again and said, "You're thinking about your mother, aren't you?"

Zuko smirked. "Is it that obvious?"

Katara smiled. "This is where Sokka and I came to talk about our mom and think about her. We would stare out at the ocean for hours. It seemed to calm us and all our pain flowed away. We remembered the past and were able to get away from the real fact that she was gone. I know in your case it's probably different. Your mother is probably out there somewhere."

Zuko nodded slightly. It was good to have a friend who understood. "I know it must be hard for you to know that _I_ can find my mother and… well…"

"It's ok Zuko. I'm really happy for you and I want you to be able to find her."

"Thanks. It's just hard to know that now I have to put off finding her again. I've waited three years already since the time I found out that she was possibly alive. How long do I have to wait this time?"

"However long it is, I know that you'll find her."

"I hope so."

They looked out at the ocean again. Sokka came up behind them. He was searching for them, but realized that he had just walked into an intense conversation.

"Hey guys," Sokka said concerned. "Is everything ok?"

Katara smiled at her brother. "We're fine."

Sokka nodded. He knew now what the conversation was about. Katara's smile said it all. He then glanced up at the ocean and saw something. He squinted trying to make out what it was and when he figured it out he grew concerned.

"Hey," Sokka said to get his friends attention again, "is that what I think it is?"

Katara and Zuko stood up and looked at the object in the ocean too. They recognized what it was.

"I think it is Sokka," Zuko said intensely. "The Fire Nation is approaching."

Azula's ship was the object they saw and it was coming in pretty fast. Azula stood on deck gazing at the South Pole. She was ready. Her chance to get revenge was drawing near… and she smiled mischievously at the thought.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** Yeah, no action this chapter, but come next chapter… believe me it'll make up for it. We'll learn the fate of the Water Tribes too. I hope you like my triplets! ^.^ LOL There will be more of them to come. They're just getting started LOL and I hope that Mai joining Azula again was a bit of a twist. The next chapter will be up at some point. I haven't gotten too far on it yet. Again, thank you for reading!**


	4. Lunar Eclipse, Part 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** WOW! Thanks for the reviews and favs everyone! ^.^ I'm so glad there are people liking it! That just makes my day! :D I hope to continue your interest in the story. So, here's the next chapter! I hope all of you enjoy this one too! And I hope that by having Aang not go into the Avatar State makes sense as well. ^.^; It does to me, but it's just trying to get that through to the audience that makes it a little difficult. Thanks for reading everyone! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter Three: Lunar Eclipse, Part 2**

**The Attack**

* * *

**Act 1**

* * *

Sokka, Katara, and Zuko hurried back into the village as Azula's ship pushed closer and closer. They had to act fast. The attack was going to happen soon and no one was ready.

"Dad! Dad!" Sokka called out to his father. Hakoda turned around in alarm. "The Fire Nation is on its way. We just spotted a ship."

"So, it's about to start already," Hakoda said more to himself, but then asked to no one in particular, "Were you able to see how many there were?"

"It looks like there's only one," Zuko answered, "but one can hold many people."

"Hmmm, it seems like this guy making the plans seems confident that the South Pole will be taken over if he's only sent one ship, but we can still take them on. I'll tell everyone else to get ready and when the ship comes close enough I want you," he looked at Katara, "and the other waterbenders to freeze the ship in the water. I've talked to the other waterbenders about it and they're all for it."

"Got it dad," Katara confirmed.

"Now," Hakoda continued to speak to Katara, "you go tell Aang and when you see the soot fall from the sky that's when we'll start." He then looked at the two young men before him. "Sokka and Zuko come with me. I'm going to need your help with something."

The three men ran off as Katara ran in the opposite direction to tell Aang. She found him a good distance away from the village, petting Appa while Momo sat on his shoulders.

"I want you guys to stay far away as possible," Aang said to his animals. "I have a feeling that this fight is going to be horrible."

Appa grunted and Momo purred to say that they understood.

"Aang!" Katara yelled out. Aang turned and watched as Katara ran up to him saying, "A Fire Nation ship is on its way. We have to get ready."

"Wait _ship_? There's only one?"

"As far as we know."

"All right, let's go back to the others." Aang looked at Momo. "You stay with Appa, Momo."

Momo purred and gave Aang a little rub on his cheek to give him a hug. The playful lemur flew off of Aang's shoulders and landed on Appa's head. Aang started to walk toward the village, but Katara stopped big by taking his hand.

"Aang, wait," Katara said.

"What is it?"

"I know you already said that you weren't going into the Avatar state-"

"And I won't. I understand why it would be a risk."

"I know… but I just want you to promise me you won't."

"Why?" Aang was confused. "Because you think I'll do it anyway?"

"No, I trust you… I just think that if the fight becomes too overwhelming…"

"Katara…" He held her hands in his and looked into her eyes compassionately, but with some intensity, "… I promise you, I won't go into the Avatar state."

Katara smiled. She knew now that he wouldn't do it. Her smile faded as black snow fell in front of her face. Her and Aang looked up at the sky… it was covered in soot.

"Come on," Katara said. "We've gotta go."

Together, they ran back to the village as fast as they could.

* * *

Azula and Mai continued to stand on deck to await their arrival at the South Pole. Azula didn't dare go to the back of the ship. She knew those triplet soldiers were back there probably goofing off and she didn't want to be anywhere around it. How could Rikiya assign those guys? Really? What was it about those guys that possessed Rikiya to do such a thing? Azula couldn't figure it out, but she knew she could figure more things out about Mai. Just as Mai predicted, Azula started to ask more questions.

"So, Mai," Azula said to her friend, "tell me about this new guy of yours. What's his name?"

Mai sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

Azula shrugged. "I'm curious. That's all."

Mai sighed again and shook her head. "Well, his name is Kiet an he's a guard for the Fire Nation, but right now he's being taken over to the Earth Kingdom."

Azula waited for Mai to continue, but she wasn't getting anything else from her. "… So, is he handsome? Strong? Smart?"

"Yes."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?"

"I'm sorry Azula, but you know that I'm not into talking about this kind of stuff."

It was Azula's turn to sigh. "You're right, you're right. I just haven't talked to you in three years. I'm curious to know what's been going on with you." Apparently it was no use to get anything out of Mai; maybe another time. Azula gazed out to the South Pole and said, "We're almost there. When we arrive, I'll attack whoever tries to attack me first.

Mai looked at Azula shocked. "I thought you were going to go after Zuko."

Azula did another shrug. "I've done it many times before and I'll have other chances. So, I'm going to leave him to you."

Mai looked at her curiously. "This is a test, isn't it?"

Azula smirked. "Do you blame me?" Mai narrowed her eyes, but didn't answer, so Azula continued. "Now, all we need to do is figure out how to hold back the Avatar so this whole thing can be easier. How well of fighters are those three… uh… whatever they are?"

"Hey, all I was told was that they're one of the top fighters. I've never actually seen them in action. Maybe you should go ask them."

Azula gave Mai an annoyed look, but Mai gave a small smile and looked away. Azula kept taking glances at the back of the ship. She really didn't want to go back there. There was no telling how annoying they were going to be… but she took the bold move and walked to the back. When she found them, they were sitting on chairs they brought up on deck and were laughing up a storm. Azula wasn't pleased with this.

Tomomi was ending a joke saying, "So, he says to the other guy, that's not a platypus-bear, that's a duck-monkey."

The brothers laughed again and Azula just stood there with her hands on her hips. She didn't find their amusement so… amusing. Just a few seconds by them and they were already starting to get her blood to boil. They didn't even know she was there!

Azula cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me." The brothers stopped laughing immediately and looked at her with their full attention. "I need to ask you a very important question."

Tomoya smiled brightly and said, "Well, ask away little lady."

Azula raised her eyebrow and thought, "Did he just call me that?" She decided to ignore his little _inaccurate _comment and said, "Yeah, well, I was told that you three are one of the best fighters in the army. Is that true?"

"_One _of the best?" Tomoki repeated her statement with a laugh. "Maim, we _are _the best."

Azula wasn't quite for sure. "Really? Would you mind showing me a few moves?"

"No problem." Tomoki looked at his brothers with a mischievous smile. "Men, let's show her."

They stood up and combined their firebending moves in unison. They were experts. Their moves were fast, perfect, and, if they had it in them, they could possibly be deadly. The light from the fire illuminated around Azula. She watched closely at their moves with a surprise looked her face, but she liked what she saw.

She smiled evilly at the thought of what they would bring to this fight and said to herself, "Excellent."

* * *

Water Tribe soldiers were in Chief Arnook's throne room at the North Pole. Arnook stood before his soldiers with confidence and strength. Everyone in the room had his full attention.

"Today is the day that we have to defend our tribe from the Fire Nation once again," Arnook began. "Why the Fire Lord changed his mind, we may never know, but I need everyone to be brave and fight with everything you've got. When the eclipse happens I want every waterbender to retreat, but to everyone else, stay and fight, do not back down. This is your home and these are your people. Protect them."

The same guard that had mentioned to Arnook about the Fire Nation ships approaching came running into the room again. He had a more worried look on his face than from the first time. Apparently he had been running a long time because by the time he stopped in front of his chief, he was completely out of breath.

The young man said in between breaths, "Sir … I'm sorry… to interrupt… but… the ships… are getting closer… we need… to prepare… to fight."

Arnook knew it was time to take action and commanded, "All right everyone. You heard the man. The ships are getting closer. Take your stations. NOW!"

The soldiers left in a hurry and Arnook followed to watch his men. He saw each and every soldier run to where they needed to be. He trusted his men and knew they would make him proud. He looked up at the sky… it was nighttime and the moon was high, but the eclipse was approaching. The waterbenders still had a chance in the fight... but for how long? Arnook just hoped that everything would go well for his people.

He sighed and decided to walk to the spirit oasis. The place was warm and calming. Since Yue became the moon spirit, he had come to the oasis often to remember her. He remembered when she was a baby and how him and his wife placed their daughter in the oasis, how his daughter's hair turned white, and how proud he was to hear his daughter finally cry. It was where she was given life… and it was where she had to give it back. He wasn't there when she left, and sometimes he wished he was, but knew that he probably wouldn't let her do it. She did the right thing and helped the world. He was so proud, and still was to this very day. He kneeled down in front of the pond and watched as the koi fish swam around each other in circles.

He then closed his eyes and began to pray. "I pray to you daughter. Please help keep the North Pole safe as long as you can. Watch over us."

A few tears trickled down his face. He hoped his daughter heard him. Suddenly, a gentle, white light illuminated around him. He looked up and was shocked. A beautiful spirit of a young woman looked down upon him with a smile.

Arnook gasped. "Yue."

* * *

Azula's ship sailed even closer to the South Pole. The waterbenders found it close enough to freeze the ship. They stood in the water and formed ice around their feet to create a mini surfboard. They surfed out to the ship and every waterbender used their bending to lift the ship out of the water with ice; making the bottom frozen. Fire Nation soldiers ran to the sides of the ship and dropped bombs on to the ice. The instant the bombs hit, they exploded, and the ice shattered everywhere. The waterbenders acted quickly to melt the shattered ice that flew in the air before it struck them. They knew with a ship this big there were probably plenty of bombs and because of that, it meant there was no way they were going to be able to stop the ship from porting on their land. They used their bending to sail back to the village where the Water Tribe soldiers stood. The ship continued to sail in. It finally reached the land and stopped, dropping the nose of the ship to make a ramp, and revealing a doorway. Azula and Mai walked down the ramp side-by-side with the army right behind them.

Zuko's eyes grew wide with shock and said to himself in disbelief, "… Mai."

Azula and Mai stopped in front of the village as three, long rows of soldiers lined up behind them. Azula looked out at the Water Tribe. A few people she recognized. She didn't care if it was her who would attack them, but just as long as she got some justice out of this battle, she would be pleased.

Azula smiled and said, "Well, isn't this a nice little reunion for some of us."

* * *

**Act 2**

* * *

"Charge!" Hakoda yelled to command his soldiers.

The Water Tribe attacked, but the Fire Nation was ready. Azula waited to see who was going to attack her… it was Hakoda. He ran with a spear and tried to strike, but Azula dodged and threw a punch. Hakoda hit her with the side of his spear and knocked her down. It didn't take long for her to stand right back up to continue the fight.

Four Fire Nation soldiers fought each waterbender and one Fire Nation soldier fought each Water Tribe soldier. Neither side was giving up. Tomoki, Tomomi, and Tomoya walked forward toward Aang. Azula had assigned them to attack the Avatar.

"Please don't make me fight you," Aang said strongly. "I'm the Avatar and I will not back down if you fight."

Tomoki replied, "We know who you are."

Together, the brothers fire blasted at Aang, but Aang used his airbending to easily blow it away. The brothers didn't back down. They did a special firebending move and, in unison, they combined their bending into one huge fire blast that formed into the shape of a dragon's head. The attack was strong and Aang had a hard time holding it back. The flames dispersed, but it wasn't long before the brothers attacked again with the same move. They were pushing Aang back and, before he knew it, he was a far distance away from the village. The brothers attacked one last time with the same attack yet again and Aang crashed into the snowy ground, but he wasn't going to give up. He stood up quickly, spun in a circle, and sent a blast of air at the brothers. He sent them crashing to the ground, but it didn't stop them. They too were standing back up in no time. Aang wanted to go into the Avatar state, but he didn't want to break his promise. Besides, what if "the man" was hiding somewhere waiting for him to do it. Katara was right, he didn't know what all "the man" was capable of. It was too risky. He hated that. He wanted to save the tribe and just end this battle once and for all.

Zuko was fighting a soldier and neither one were backing down. Suddenly, a sharp dagger flew in front of Zuko's face only an inch away from his nose and imbedded itself in one of the Water Tribe houses. Both Zuko and the soldier were shocked and looked to their left in the direction the dagger had come. Mai came walking up to them.

Mai looked at the solider and said, "He's mine."

The soldier nodded and ran off, leaving Zuko and Mai staring at each other.

"Why Mai?" Zuko asked sadly.

"I've changed my mind about everything," Mai answered with no emotion. "I want the Fire Nation to rule the world."

"Please Mai, don't do this. This isn't you."

"Sorry Zuko, but I'm not on your side anymore."

She threw another dagger at him and Zuko dodged. He had no choice but to fight her.

* * *

Rikiya and Ozai still stood on the deck of the main Fire Nation ship. Rikiya leaned on the railing knowing that Ozai was ready to ask more questions. He just patiently waited until he did so.

Ozai looked over at Rikiya and asked, "So, is there anymore of your plan that I need to know about or is everything you've told me it?"

"You'll know in due time," Rikiya simply replied.

That did it. Ozai was ticked. "You know, I really don't like how you don't answer everything fully and how you give orders to me. I don't take orders. I give them."

Rikiya looked at him un-phased by the anger. "Well, seeing as I'm the one with the plan and trying to make you Fire Lord again and bring your firebending back, I think I should be the one giving the orders and decide when it's the right time to tell you everything. The way I see it, you have no choice."

Ozai yelled, "Well, if you want me to go along with this plan, I need to know everything and I will not back down until I get them because I know you need me for your plan to work."

Rikiya sighed and rolled his eyes. He was really getting bored with Ozai. "Ok, fine, I'll tell you. It was going to be a surprise, but if you want to know so badly…" He sighed again. "When we get to the Earth Kingdom we are going to Ba Sing Se. The army already knows what to do to conquer it because my plan has been circling around the army for years and I've had plenty of time to think it all through, but the surprise for you was going to be that Ba Sing Se is where you're going to take the throne."

Ozai smiled. "Oh! I like that," his smiled faded, "but what about the Fire Nation palace?"

"I'm leaving that to your daughter like your plan was when you decided to become the Phoenix King. Unfortunately, you won't be able to be the Phoenix King, but think of it as having two Fire Lords. A higher and lower class," Rikiya then rolled eyes and sighed, "but if you want to give yourself some kind of name again, go right ahead. Of course before you're crowned Fire Lord we'll eventually find some way to kill your son so that can happen. I can't tell you when that will be, but in time it will happen."

Ozai smiled again. "Every time I hear more of your plan I like it more and more. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"It will take awhile to get to Ba Sing Se, but it will be all worth it. I will tell you that we are going to make a little stop on the way and that's where I'll need you to listen to some facts for me. So, that's about it. I have nothing else to tell you. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, very."

Rikiya nodded. Finally, the questions were over. At least, they were for now. He looked up at the sky and saw the sun was minutes away from passing in front of the moon.

"The eclipse is about here," Rikiya said. "Soon the Water Tribes will be conquered."

* * *

Waterbenders were trying to freeze the ships in the water at the North Pole, but bombs were being dropped from the side of the ships and the ice exploded. The waterbenders retreated knowing it was no use to try to freeze the ships and the ships reached land. The Fire Nation army emerged from the ships and began to attack.

During this time, Arnook was still on his hands and knees looking up at his daughter.

"My daughter," Arnook pleaded, "please help us win this battle."

Yue replied, "As long as the moon stays out from behind the sun the waterbenders will be able to fight and draw back the Fire Nation… but once the eclipse happens… I'm afraid father that this battle will end in failure for the Water Tribe." Arnook hung his head. "But don't lose hope. The Avatar knows what's going on with the Fire Nation and I'm sure that he will find a way to end all this… along side the Fire Lord."

Arnook shot his head back up in surprise. "The Fire Lord? I thought he was the one who sent his army out."

"His army betrayed him. Now, he's trying to stop them, but I fear that there is a greater force at work here."

Yue started to fade and flicker.

Arnook looked confused. "My daughter, what's happening?"

"The eclipse is about here. As it draws closer I become weaker. Soon I will fade away and our conversation will end."

"Before you go, tell me, who is this greater force?"

Yue flickered in and out rapidly and faded even more to the point where she was barely visible. "I don't have time to explain. Just don't lose hope father. That's all I ask."

Yue flickered out and Arnook was left speechless. He couldn't believe it. The Water Tribe was doomed and there was no way to stop it.

* * *

In the South Pole the fight still continued. No one noticed how close the eclipse was. Azula and Hakoda continued to fight; dodging each other's attacks, but Azula found an opening and knocked Hakoda down, causing him to lose his spear. Azula kicked the spear away and Hakoda was left defenseless. Azula brought a hand up and charged her lightning. Hakoda didn't know what to do. As Katara fought four soldiers, she glanced over at her father and saw what was about to happen.

"NO!" She yelled.

Katara froze the soldiers she was fighting and was ready to help her father, but Azula was just seconds away from striking. Katara didn't know what else to do. Hakoda winced as Azula began to bring her hand down to strike, but Azula found out that she couldn't move! She was confused and so was Hakoda. The next thing Azula knew, she was sliding away from Hakoda. She stopped a few feet in front of Katara and noticed she was the one controlling her. Katara was using bloodbending. Azula began to slide around back and forth as Katara tried to gain full control of her. Azula began to scream as she was being moved and the whole battle stopped to watch. Katara stopped Azula again in front of her and made the princess bow down on her hands and knees. Everyone was shocked at what Katara was doing. Katara didn't want anyone to know and she had never told anyone about the technique or about Hama. The only people there who knew were Sokka and Zuko. Aang would've known, but he was still fighting his own battle far away. Tears ran down Katara's cheeks. She didn't want to use this technique. She hated the idea of it; to control a person's body. What hurt most of all… now everyone she knew and loved knew what she could do.

Katara look into Azula's angry eyes and demanded calmly, "Call off the fight Azula."

Azula laughed coldly. "I don't know how you're doing this, but I'm not calling off the fight."

Frustrated and angry, Katara picked Azula up and slammed her into the ground… hard. She let Azula sit back up. Snow fell off Azula's face as she starred at Katara angrily.

Katara then yelled, "CALL OFF THE FIGHT NOW!"

Before Azula could even speak, the eclipse happened. Katara lost control of her bending and Azula found herself able to move again. Azula stood up rotating her shoulders and moving her neck from side to side; trying to get the odd sensation of her body being controlled out of her.

Azula looked at Katara and smiled evilly. "Sorry, but without your bending, this fight is going to get a lot easier."

* * *

**Act 3**

* * *

Azula charged up her lightning again to shoot at Katara, but she never got the chance. Zuko had pushed Mai out of the way and shot his own lightning in front of Azula. She didn't expect that and Zuko firebended at her. Azula dodged. The fight between the two siblings gave the waterbenders the advantage to runaway as the other fights continued. Mai came up behind Zuko and tried to hit him, but he caught her attack at the corner of his eye and dodged in time, causing Mai to almost hit Azula. Azula pushed Mai's hand aside and tried to attack Zuko. He dodged. The sibling fight had turned into a two against one fight.

Waterebenders started to be captured. Their feet and hands were tied and they were dragged over to the side. When the Fire Nation soldiers had finally gathered them all, two soldiers had to stand guard as the others ran off to fight to make sure that no one would try to free them. Things were not going well for the Southern Water Tribe.

* * *

The Northern Water Tribe wasn't doing so well either. Waterbenders were being captured left and right there too. The battle was becoming too overwhelming.

Chief Arnook had come back to his throne room after speaking to his daughter for such a short time. The same man who had told him about the Fire Nation ships twice already came running back into the room to tell him about the battle.

"Chief Arnook!" He called out. "I was told to come and tell you that this battle doesn't look good. We are too far out-numbered, many people have been injured and… we've even lost a few. It looks like we're going to lose the battle."

Arnook wasn't surprised by the news after what his daughter had told him. He said nothing to the young man and walked outside with the man following him. He saw that what the man and Yue had said was true. The Northern Water Tribe was losing.

As Arnook starred at the battle, he spoke to the man without looking at him. "Sound the horns." The man looked at him surprised and saw the hurt in his chief's face. "It's time to surrender before anyone else gets hurt and killed."

The man nodded and ran off to do what he was ordered. Within seconds the horns were sounded. The Fire Nation soldiers were confused, but the Water Tribe soldiers knew what it meant. The Water Tribe soldiers hung their heads and dropped their weapons in defeat. When the Fire Nation Soldiers saw this, they knew what it meant and they cheered.

Arnook walked back inside the throne room. He couldn't look at the scene anymore. As the cheers were heard from outside, a Fire Nation admiral, followed by five soldiers, walked into the room and stood face to face with the chief.

"My name is Admiral Kwan," the admiral said, "and I have been ordered to take control of the North Pole. So, I command you to stand down."

Arnook knew he had no choice and he hated that, but he looked the admiral in the eyes and said, "I'll stand down only if no more of my people get hurt."

Admiral Kwan smiled. "Your wish is my command."

* * *

Hakoda was able to knock down the Fire Nation soldier he was fighting. For the first time, he was able to get a good look around the village. His people were growing tired and yet the Fire Nation was still fighting strong. He knew what he had to do. He didn't want to, but his people would soon tire out. He looked around and found Sokka fight a soldier. Sokka was still giving it his all, but he too was growing tired. Hakoda ran up to the solider and gave him a good whack on the back of his head. Sokka didn't know what happened at first, but once the man fell he saw his father standing there.

"Thanks dad," Sokka said.

"Come on," Hakoda said as he took hold of his son's hand and dragged him away from the fight.

Sokka was led back into his home where Gran Gran stayed to be protected from the fight. Hakoda sat his son down. Sokka looked into his father's face and knew that he wasn't going to receive good news.

"What is it dad?" Sokka asked.

Hakoda said calm and serious, "Sokka, listen to me very carefully. I want you to take your sister and friends and get out of her."

"What! No dad-"

"Please Sokka, it's for the best. We can't risk Aang going into the Avatar state, everyone is growing tired from the fight… and the Fire Nation isn't backing down."

"Dad, you're asking me to leave all of you behind and at the mercy of the Fire Nation."

"I know, but-"

"The Fire Nation can't ruin things again for us. I want to stay and fight."

"Listen to your father Sokka," Gran Gran spoke out. Sokka and Hakoda looked at her. "The world is in trouble once again and you and your sister need to be there right beside the Avatar… even if that means leaving the ones you love and care about behind. Just think about how that young man, the Fire Lord, feels about his own army betraying him. I remember the first time I saw him, how naïve he was, but I can tell that he's changed and that he cares for his nation. He cares for the world. Help the Avatar save the world again and help the Fire Lord win his nation back to him."

Sokka nodded with a pained look on his face. "I understand Gran Gran. I'll miss you both."

Sokka gave his grandmother a hug and then his father.

Hakoda pulled his son away after hugging him briefly and said with a smile, "Just remember what we always say… it's not forever."

Sokka gave his father nod to show he understood and ran out of the house back into the fight. He looked around for Katara and finally spotted her tied up along side the other waterbenders. There were still only two soldiers guarding them. Sokka ran up to them when they weren't looking in his direction and hit one soldier in the back of his head. The soldier fell unconscious, but the second soldier was ready for him. Sokka was ready to fight him, but a boomerang came flying out of nowhere and hit the soldier in the head as well. The soldier fell beside his fallen companion as Sokka turned around to see who threw the boomerang. Hakoda stood smiling and Sokka smiled back. As Hakoda ran off to fight in the battle once again, Sokka took out a knife from his boot and cut away at the ropes that bound Katara's hands and feet.

"Dad wants us to take Aang and Zuko and get out of her," Sokka said as he was cutting.

"What!" Katara yelled shocked. "But, what about everyone else?"

Sokka finished cutting and looked into his sister's sad eyes, "We have to leave them behind."

"No! We can't do that."

"Katara," Pakku said as he sat beside her, "you must leave. Don't worry about us."

Katara shook her head and tears trickled down her face.

Sokka took her hand and gently said, "Come on. Let's go get Aang and Zuko."

Katara let her brother pull her away from the other waterbenders. They found Zuko still fighting Azula and Mai. Zuko and Azula were both using their firebending, but Mai was finding it difficult to use her daggers. She was afraid that she might hit Azula. Zuko crouched down and swung his leg while firebending to trip them, but the young women jumped to avoid it. He stood up and continued to fight them.

"Come on Zuko we have to go," Sokka yelled out to him.

"You should listen to him," Azula said slyly, "and leave this place for the Fire Nation."

Zuko wouldn't allow that to happen, but he had been thinking about something while he was fighting; something that he didn't want to face the truth about, but it looked like he was going to have no choice but to believe it.

"Come on Zuko!" Sokka yelled again.

Azula and Mai were going to attack at the same time, but Zuko ducked and the two women hit each other. They fell to the ground in pain from a very hard hit and Zuko ran over to his friends.

"My dad wants us to get out of here," Sokka told Zuko.

Zuko wasn't about to argue. "I'll find Aang. You guys go and get on Appa."

They ran their separate ways. Zuko had a hard time finding Aang, but spotted him still far off from the village. He ran over to Aang's fight and saw the brothers still combinding their firebending attacks. Aang was finding it hard to strike back. Zuko knew he had to help and, when the brothers weren't looking, he firebended at Tomomi and knocked him down. Unfortunately, it didn't knock him out and all three brothers looked in Zuko's direction. That gave Aang the opening he needed. He airbended a strong gust of wind and, it was so powerful this time, it sent the brothers flying back... far.

"Aang," Zuko started, "Sokka and Katara's dad wants us to get out of here."

"No," Aang disagreed. "I won't abandon anyone. I've done that too many times in the past."

"It's for the best Aang."

"Then," Aang was about to take a bold move, "I'll go into the Avatar state."

"No Aang," Zuko demanded to get that idea out of his friends head, "now come on. We've got to go."

Aang didn't move. He looked back and forth between Zuko and the battle. He noticed the battle was becoming overwhelming and he still wanted to help. Zuko knew exactly what he was thinking and decided that he should finally share what he had been thinking about.

"Think about Aang," Zuko said calmly. "Yes, you can help the Water Tribe by going into the Avatar state, but once we leave to stop the man from making my father Fire Lord again to take over the nations, the Fire Nation is just going to come back anyway. I realized that as we were fighting." Aang didn't answer, but he hung his head at the realization of the truth. Zuko then asked, "So, are you coming?"

Aang looked up at Zuko bravely and nodded. Together, they ran to Appa and hopped on the saddle where Sokka and Katara already sat.

"Yip yip!" Aang called out to command Appa to fly.

The bison soared in the sky and headed for the Earth Kingdom. Azula watched as they flew away and smiled in accomplishment. The Southern Water Tribe belonged to the Fire Nation.

The fight was finally over. Fire Nation soldiers held the waterbenders and soldiers in place so no one would try to fight back. Azula walked up to a group of soldiers getting the ship ready for… something. She didn't know what, but she was going to find out.

"So, who was supposed to be left in charge here?"

The captain of the ship stepped forward. "I am princess."

"Great. Tell me what's going to be happening here."

"Well, without the Fire Lord knowing, we've rebuilt a dry area of the ship where the waterbenders won't be able to bend anything. No water or moisture, no bending."

"Excellent… and the rest of the Water Tribe?"

"People who are a threat to the Fire Nation will be taken away and separated from each other. It's just like what happened when the war was going on, but it won't happen until we're told to move them."

"And that's what Rikiya has told you to do?"

"Yes, it is princess."

Azula had come to realize that Rikiya really _did _know what he was doing and was starting to accept the fact that he was in control for now. "All right then, I'll leave you to that."

The captain bowed to Azula, walked over to the soldiers who were holding the waterbenders, and commanded, "All right men, take them on the ship."

Tomoya came up behind Azula and said, "Princess," Azula turned to look at him, "there is a small ship that we'll use to follow the Avatar. It'll just be my brothers, you , the flying daggers chick, a few other soldiers, and me."

Azula was annoyed again by his use of words and said unpleased, "Great… and who'll be taking control of the ship most of the time?"

Tomoya smiled big and said proudly, "I am."

Azula was very uncertain about this. "Oh… ok then."

She glanced over at the ship. It certainly was small… just like the one Zuko had sailed on when he was banished.

* * *

Appa flew over the ocean once more after a terrible tragedy. Everyone looked at the South Pole, now nothing more than just a small dot, sadly. They had just left behind everyone and at the mercy of the Fire Nation. How much worse were things going to get?

"I can't believe this is happening again," Katara said as everyone looked away from the South Pole.

"I know," Sokka said. "Just when it seemed like everything was going right, it comes crashing down."

"I could've stopped it," Aang said. "I could've done more to help your people"

"You did the right thing Aang," Katara said holding his hand to comfort him. "If we didn't leave, things probably could've gotten a lot worse."

"I know… but I still feel horrible about leaving."

"I know."

They had been fighting for two hours, and the sky became darker as the eclipse ended. They watched and were all thinking the same thing. If they had just stayed a little while longer… maybe, just maybe, they could've saved everyone… or maybe it didn't matter. They still could've lost. The Fire Nation was just not backing down no matter what. Zuko took his glance away from the end of the eclipse. His mind was filled with thoughts that he just couldn't express yet; thoughts of betrayal, failure, and tragedy. Everyone else was too upset to realize his sadness as they looked away from the eclipse too.

"I did like one part though," Sokka said to break the silence.

"Was there even a good part in this?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, you kicking Azula's butt for a while." Aang and Katara laughed. Even Zuko looked up and smiled a little. Sokka then added, "Wouldn't you agree Zuko? I bet that was _really _the best part for you."

Zuko still smiled. "Yeah, that was the best part."

Everyone laughed a little. The laughter seemed to ease the pain of everything that had just happened. Sokka could always make that happen and everyone was thankful for it. They continued to sail through the night sky and hoped that maybe things would get better soon.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** I had to make a little laughter come in at the end since this was such a sad chapter. I needed to find a way to lighten the mood and what's better than to have Sokka make a funny comment? LOL Even though this was such a sad chapter, I hope you still enjoyed it. And hey! We got to learn Mai's boyfriend's name! Kiet is pronounce (KYET) and it means "honor" and "honorable." It's kind of ironic since Zuko was the one who wanted to gain his honor back in the first two seasons of the cartoon series. I'll try to post the next chapter soon! We'll get to see two original characters come back! YAY! I haven't started on it just yet, but I will today. Again, thanks for reading!**


	5. The New Prisons

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, this chapter will have a dream/vision sequence. It'll be in italics. Just thought I'd let you know ^.^**

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter Four: The New Prisons**

* * *

**Act 1**

* * *

The sun was starting to set. Aang was sitting on Appa's head, holding the reigns as everyone else on the saddle slept. They had all taken control of the reigns throughout the flight and took naps when they could, but it didn't matter how many naps they had, they were still tired after the long battle. Aang started to fall asleep at the reigns, but something in the distance caught his eye. He sat straight up and smiled.

"Hey guys!" Aang called excitedly to his friends, waking them up. "We're getting close to Kyoshi Island!"

His friends looked over the saddle and smiled, well, except for Zuko. He wasn't in a smiling mood because of everything that was running through his mind.

Sokka's smile faded as he looked at the island. "Wait… something's not right…"

Zuko looked closer and thought about the worst that could've happened. What he saw was what he feared. "You're right… it doesn't. It looks… burned…"

Everyone's smiles faded. Indeed, the village was burned and destroyed. It became more visible when they got closer and when they landed, it looked even worse. The houses were burnt pitch black with holes in the roofs, walls, and windows, doors were knocked down, and some roofs even caved in. Debris was everywhere… and there wasn't one person in sight. Immediately, Sokka started looking for Suki. He looked in every building and, when he couldn't find her, he hurried to the place where the Kyoshi Warriors trained.

Sokka burst in and yelled, "Suki! Are you in here?"

No answer. The room was empty with a hole in the floor, a few windows busted, and a part of the ceiling that had caved in. Sokka stood in the middle of the room and fell to his knees as if defeated. A small flame was still lit on a piece of wood, symbolizing that it wasn't too long ago Kyoshi Island had been attacked. Sokka figured that "the man" had sent out ships probably even the day before without Zuko ever knowing. He looked at the small flame sadly and distinguished it with his finger. Katara walked up behind him. Sokka knew she was there and knew she would show up eventually, but he didn't turn around. His sister kneeled down beside him and gave him a hug. She knew words wouldn't do anything at the moment. Sometimes, a hug is all a person needs to feel comforted and to know someone's there for them.

Zuko and Aang were still in the main part of the village searching for any possible sign of human life. Zuko touched the burn marks on one of the building. He could still feel the warmth and figured that it was only a few hours ago when the attack happened. He sighed. He had no idea that ships were sent out before he was run out of his nation.

"The burn marks are fresh," he told Aang, "… this just happened recently." He sighed again. "I should've seen this coming."

Aang looked at Zuko sadly. He knew his friend was hurting. "Zuko, don't say that. You had no idea that this was going to happen."

Zuko shook his head. He was aggravated and said a little harshly, "It doesn't matter Aang. My army did this and… I had no knowledge of it. As Fire Lord I should've known what my army was doing… it's part of my job… and because of it, Kyoshi Island had to suffer." He then added with sadness in his voice. "It makes me wonder if any other parts of the world have been attacked or taken over."

For once, Aang didn't know what to say. He knew Zuko felt horrible, but Zuko just wouldn't understand that it really wasn't his fault. Aang couldn't figure out how to make him see that.

He decided to change the subject and mentioned to Zuko, "I guess we'll just make camp here tonight. Let's go search for some food… hopefully we can find some."

* * *

Azula's small ship sailed through the ocean this time. The princess walked out on deck after just spending the whole day below it. The battle had tired her out too. She saw Mai looking out at the ocean being bored, as usual, and Tomoki walking around doing… nothing in particular.

Azula approached Tomoki and said, "Tomomi…"

Tomoki looked at her confused, "Uh… it's Tomoki maim."

"Oh… right… well, have we closed in on the Avatar's trail yet?"

Tomoki hesitated. "Uh… well… you see… um… we were until fog rolled in this morning and when it had finally dispersed… we had lost all sight of the Avatar."

"WHAT!" Azula yelled.

Blue flames formed wildly around her hands and Tomoki backed away frightened. Mai looked over at Azula and was completely surprised. She had never known Azula to lose her temper so easily. This wasn't like her. Maybe the princess wasn't completely sane yet after her psychotic break down. It just took something… or someone… to cause her to snap. Azula eventually calmed down and the flames disappeared.

Azula tried to speak calmly, but she still held a demanding tone and looked like she would snap again if Tomoki did something to make her mad. "Just head for the Earth Kingdom since it seems like they were headed that way anyway. Just don't screw up this time! Now," she then snaps her words, "go back to your duties!"

Tomoki bowed quickly and said, "Yes maim." He then walked away as fast as he could.

Azula turned to Mai and said still trying to keep calm, "Make sure those three… fools do what they're supposed to be doing…" she sighs, "I'm going to get meditate. I can't believe they led me to that."

Mai watched Azula walk back below deck. She was still surprised. First she snapped and now she was going to meditate? This definitely wasn't like the Azula she used to know.

* * *

A metal carriage was being pulled by two ostrich-horses down a dirt path in the Earth Kingdom. Two Fire Nation guards were at the reigns. Inside the carriage sat a young woman. She was dirty, had messy hair, her clothes were torn, and her hands were cuffed. It was Suki and she was alone. The carriage stopped and, shortly after, the doors opened. One of the guards threw a few fruit and a loaf of bread in front of her.

"Eat up," the guard said. "We still have a long journey ahead of us."

"Where are you taking me?" Suki yelled at the guard.

The guard didn't answer and slammed the door closed. It didn't take long for Suki to feel the carriage jerk forward as she was being led to… somewhere.

* * *

Tomomi took a deep breath as he entered Azula's room. He saw Azula meditating with three candles in front of her. The candle flames rose and fell as Azula breathed in and out. Tomomi opened his mouth to speak, but Azula already knew he was in the room.

"If you have found the Avatar great," Azula said without turning around, still sitting in her meditating position, "… but if not, you have already led me to meditation, you don't want to know what I'll do to you if you give me bad news."

Tomomi hesitated and wasn't sure if he wanted to speak. "Uh… is reaching the Earth Kingdom in fifteen minutes good news?"

Azula sighed. "It's a start and I guess I'll show mercy. Since it's already dark out, we'll exit the ship in the morning."

Tomomi bowed, even though Azula couldn't see him, but it was starting to become a habit. "Yes, my princess."

He closed the door behind him and sighed with relief. He had made it out alive.

* * *

Everyone was asleep on Kyoshi Island, well, except for one person. Katara had woken up and saw her brother was not in his sleeping bag. She looked around and didn't see him anywhere in sight. There was only one other place she could think of where he may be. Without disturbing her friends, she slipped out of her sleeping bag and walked to the Kyoshi Warriors training house. As she had predicted, she found Sokka sitting on the ground with his back against the tree, staring at the house.

Katara sat down next to him and said, "Hey."

"Hey…" Sokka replied sadly.

Katara knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she needed to her it from him. It was time for Sokka to express his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

Sokka sighed. "It's Suki. I can't help but to think of her. Where did she go? Is she ok?"

"Don't worry Sokka. We'll find her…"

Sokka nodded and Katara leaned into her brother, giving him a hug. Sokka knew that the hug was coming and accepted it. His sister always knew when the right was to come in and make him feel better.

Aang and Zuko continued to sleep while Appa snored and Momo curled up on the saddle that had been taken off Appa's back. Aang began to toss and turn in his sleep. He was having a dream again.

_He found himself standing in the familiar white fog and on the stone floor. He immediately started looking for the airbender girl and saw her a few feet in front of him. She stared at him with a big smile._

"_Come Aang," the girl said. "You must see this."_

_Aang walked to her and asked, "What is it? Are you finally going to tell me who you are?"_

_The girl pointed to her right randomly. "Look."_

_Aang saw nothing. What was she trying to show him? All he saw was white fog. Suddenly, the fog swirled and formed an image before him. He saw a metal carriage with two Fire Nation guards at the doors, trying to bring someone out of it. They finally brought their prisoner out and Aang gasped at the person he saw._

"_It's Suki!"_

_He watched as the guards led her into the prison and the image faded. Aang looked at the airbender girl who was still smiling._

"_Go to her," the girl said. "Hurry!"_

Aang woke up with a jolt. He looked around him and found that he was back on Kyoshi Island. He looked to his left and saw Zuko staring at him groggily.

"You were talking in your sleep again," Zuko said dully. "What were you dreaming about this time?"

Before Aang could answer, Katara and Sokka had returned. Aang stood up before his friends and they all had his attention.

"Guys," Aang began, "… I know where Suki is."

* * *

**Act 2**

* * *

"How do you know about the prison Aang?" Katara asked.

"And they're really from the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked.

Aang opened his mouth to answer, but Sokka cut in saying, "Who cares how he knows or where they're from? We have a chance to find Suki!"

"But we don't even know exactly where it's at!" Katara countered back. "We don't even know how we're going to get in!"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out!"

"Guys calm down," Aang said gently, "… I know this is going to sound weird, but I _do_ know where the prison is. I just don't know how we're going to get in."

Sokka looked at his sister. "_See_ Katara!"

Katara sighed and gave her brother a disapproving look. "Sokka… I know you want to find her, but it'll be best if we do this in the morning. We've had a long flight and we're all still tired from the battle. We need our sleep."

Sokka sighed and scowled. He didn't like the idea. "Fine… we'll wait till morning."

He walked back to his sleeping bag and curled up in it, turning his back on everyone. He was ticked. He wanted to find Suki now. Everyone stared at him. They knew he was upset and to just leave him alone. In time, he would calm down.

* * *

The sun rose over the ocean. Morning had finally come and Azula's ship was docked at an Earth Kingdom port. The brothers stood on deck alone, discussing about something they didn't want the princess to know.

"Guys," Tomomi said nervously, "I just found out that I had forgotten to load the vehicle into the ship. We have no way of getting around the Earth Kingdom… well… we can by foot."

Tomoya did a facepalm. "Aw man… Azula's not going to like this."

Their nightmare was about to happen. Azula stepped out on deck and approached the brothers. The brothers gasped and tried to pretend that nothing was going on, but Azula knew something was up.

"What's going on?" Azula asked curiously.

Tomomi laughed uncomfortably and the brothers joined in, but when they saw Azula not laughing they stopped and hung their heads.

Tomomi then choked out nervously, "Uh… well, I forgot to tell you that Rikiya had told us we must travel on foot to capture the Avatar." Sweat fell from his forehead.

Azula narrowed her eyes. "You're lying… you forgot to put in the vehicle, haven't you?" She then spat out, "well, that's. Just. Perfect!"

"I-I-I'm sorry my princess… I didn't mean-"

"You're lucky that you three are the top fighters in the army and can fight off the Avatar. If I didn't need you I would've thrown you overboard a long time ago."

The men gulped and stared at her with wide eyes as they coward together. They had heard about how powerful, manipulative, and even cruel the princess could be. It wasn't until now they realized how true that really was.

* * *

On Kyoshi Island, everyone was up and packing supplies on Appa's saddle. There wasn't too much to pack, but they were able to find some food and that added more to the load. Aang looked over at Zuko and saw that he was packing the sleeping bags. A question had been tugging at the back of his mind for a while. He wasn't sure if he should ask Zuko, but he just had to know.

He walked over to help Zuko roll up the sleeping bags and asked, "Hey Zuko… can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"… I was just wondering… what's going on with you and Mai? You were trying to tell me something back at the palace and you looked… uncomfortable… like something happened between you two… and, well… now it looks like she joined Azula and Katara told me she attacked you at the South Pole… which confuses me even more…"

Zuko didn't say anything at first. He picked up two of the sleeping bags as Aang picked up the others and walked towards Appa. He tossed the bags onto Appa's saddle, but he knew Aang was still waiting for an answer. Katara and Sokka overheard the question and were listening in.

"We broke up," Zuko finally said.

Everyone looked at him wide eyed.

"What? Why?" Aang asked.

"She said we were growing apart and… she… she met someone else… now that could be true, but… I wouldn't doubt that she did it because she knew what was going to be happening… she probably knew of the plan all along…"

Zuko was trying to show that it didn't bother him, but clearly it did. His friends felt so sorry for him. He really did have a lot on his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Zuko," Katara said sadly.

Zuko shrugged, still trying to pull off the act of the whole ordeal not bothering him. "It's all right…" He then changed the subject. "I think we got everything, right? We should get going."

Zuko climbed on Appa as everyone continued to stare. They knew he was trying to dodge his feelings, but they wished he wouldn't try to bottle them up inside. Things would just grow worse for him. Eventually, everyone climbed on Appa as well and were off to find Suki.

* * *

Azula walked furiously ahead through dense woods. She decided to leave the other soldiers on the ship and was still mad about having to walk on foot. A few leaves were stuck in her hair and she kept tripping over tree roots. The brothers and Mai walked behind her with no problem. A few times Mai was almost hit by a branch that Azula pushed out of the way as it swung back. The brothers, however, were laughing up a storm in a conversation they were having; which annoyed Azula even more.

"Oh my gosh!" Tomoki said as he laughed. "Is this a true story?"

"Yep!" Tomomi replied as he laughed too. "Then the next thing you know that bounty hunter has the whole place in a riot!"

Tomoya sighed as he laughed. "Wow! I sure would've liked to see that! Where was I when this was happening anyway?"

Tomomi nudged his brother. "Out trying to catch that girl you were drooling over."

"Oh yeah!" Tomoya laughed harder. "She _was _pretty hot."

They continued to laugh and Azula rolled her eyes. Mai was actually trying not to laugh; which was unusual for her, but she did do a well job at hiding it. Azula looked up at the sky and just happened to see the large flying bison fly overhead.

"Come on," Azula said to the group behind her. "Hurry! This way!"

Azula picked up the pace and Mai and the brothers tried their best to keep up. As Azula walked, something metal behind a bunch of trees caught her eye. It distracted her and she stopped suddenly, causing the brothers to walk into her and making her fall to the ground. The brothers stared wide-eyed and Mai knew this wasn't going to go well.

Azula stood up and yelled, "You fools! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry princess!" Tomomi and Tomoki said.

"Sorry little lady!" Tomoya said.

Azula huffed, dusted herself off, and pulled the leaves out of her hair. "Imbeciles." She looked back up in the sky and realized she had lost the Avatar's trail. "Great! Just perfect." She then looked at the metal object she saw. She had to figure out what it was. "What is that?"

Mai and the brothers looked in the direction she pointed. Mai was confused, but the brothers weren't.

"Oh, that," Tomoki shrugged. "That's just one of the Fire Nation prisons."

Azula looked at him surprised. "What? Fire Nation prisons?"

"Yep! They're scattered here and there around the Earth Kingdom."

Azula debated on whether to check it out or not. Should she continue on to find the Avatar or try to figure out what this prison was all about? She decided to let the Avatar go, for now. She walked to the prison, with her group right behind her, and found two guards guarding the door. The guards knew exactly who Azula was and bowed.

"Welcome my princess," one guards said.

"Hello," Azula said, "can you tell me about the prison? Why it's here?"

"Oh! Why yes my princess, you see Rikiya has ordered-"

"Rikiya? This is his doing?"

"Why yes, he sent people from the army over here a few months ago to start building them in secret and then, once he notified us, we were to start capturing people who are a threat to the Fire Nation."

This really interested Azula. "Really? May I look inside?"

"Certainly my princess."

The guard opened the door and Azula entered with Mai. The brothers decided to stay behind. They've been in the prisons before. It was nothing new to them.

* * *

Aang continued to fly Appa towards the prison where Suki was. He still couldn't explain how he knew exactly where he was going. Did the girl in his dream have something to do with it? He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter at the moment. Suki needed to be saved. Finally, he had spotted the prison.

"There it is!" Aang yelled.

Everyone looked over the saddle and Sokka asked, "You sure Aang?"

"Positive."

"Ok then, let's land."

They landed far enough away from the prison to be undetected, but close enough to have a good look at the prison to form a strategy plan. They hid behind some bushes and just starred at the prison, looking it up and down.

"I never knew there were Fire Nation prisons being built here," Zuko said. "I should've known."

"Zuko it's not your fault," Katara said, wishing that he would stop blaming himself. "All of this was going on behind your back."

Zuko sighed. "It doesn't make up for the fact that they're here and capturing people."

He just wouldn't stop blaming himself. No one knew how to make him understand.

Sokka then changed the subject in the best way he knew how by saying, "All right guys, here's the plan."

* * *

The guard led Azula and Mai around the prison to give them a little tour. Azula was very intrigued by everything, but Mai showed no expression. If she was thinking about anything, she certainly didn't show any sign.

The guard stopped at a cell door and said, "Here we have a retired Earth Kingdom soldier." Azula peeked through the hole in the door. She saw a man in his fifties sitting on the floor with is back against the wall, staring in a daze at the floor. "He served in the 100 year war and when we came to his village to collect the earthbenders there, man did he put up a fight…" He continued to walk and stopped at another door. "Here we have a pesky little teenager." Azula peeked through this door too. She saw a young boy sitting on the floor. He looked up at her and scowled. "He has tried to break out many times, but our security is very tight and he's been caught every time…" He walked to another door. "Now here! This person is a great find. She is a Kyoshi Warrior and-"

"A Kyoshi Warrior?" Azula cut off the guard. She was interested in this particular prisoner. "… May I go in?"

The guard looked at her confused. "Uh… you know this warrior my princess?"

"I might… now let me in. I need to see."

"Yes princess."

The guard opened the door and Azula immediately stepped in. The room was bare with only metal walls. Before her, sitting on the floor in a prison uniform, sat a young woman. She had her arms on her knees and her face was buried in her arms. Her long brown hair was loose and tangled. Even though Azula couldn't see her face, she knew who it was.

Azula stood with her arms crossed and said with a smirk, "Why Ty Lee," Ty Lee looked up startled. She knew the voice and was surprised at who she saw. "It's been a long time."

* * *

**Act 3**

* * *

"Azula?" Ty Lee asked confused. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Azula shrugged and looked at her nails casually. "I just want to talk."

"Well, that's not really what I meant-"

"I have a question to ask you," Azula interrupted.

"Oh… what is it?"

Azula finally looked away from her nails and directed her attention at Ty Lee. "Would you like to join me on my mission?"

Ty Lee actually glared at her. "I don't know what this mission is… but I'm not taking part in it."

"Oh come on Ty Lee," Mai said with a bored tone as she stepped out from behind Azula. Ty Lee looked at her with surprise too. "Just join in."

Ty Lee couldn't believe who she saw and shook her head in disbelief. "Mai?"

* * *

Sokka and Aang had left Katara and Zuko behind as they went to rescue Suki. It was all part of Sokka's plan. Him and Aang would rescue her and if anything went wrong, Katara and Zuko would step in. Sokka and Aang peeked at the prison from behind trees to see if any guards were nearby. There weren't and they realized they were near a side entryway. It was just luck that the door was unguarded. They crept up to the door, trying to be sneaky, and looked around again for any sign of a guard.

"It's strange that they would leave a door unguarded like this," Aang whispered.

"I know right? They make it too easy."

Aang chuckled. "And what would make it even more easy is if they left the door unlocked."

They both snickered uncontrollably, until they were hit with the same idea. They looked at each other and then at the door. Sokka grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door opened. Sokka and Aang couldn't believe it and stared at the door shocked.

"… How convenient…" Sokka said.

"… Yeah…" Aang then snapped out of it. "Come on. Let's go."

They entered the building, stole Fire Nation guard clothes, and walked around as two guards. They walked up and down hallways, peeking into the cells for any sign of Suki. Sokka searched one side and Aang searched the other. When they finally reached the end of one hall, they both pulled off their masks and looked at each other.

"Anything yet?" Sokka asked.

"Nope. Haven't seen her."

Sokka nodded in disappointment. "Let's go down another hall."

They slipped their masks back on and searched another hall. Sokka reached a cell door and peeked inside. It was dark, but he recognized the person inside. He opened the door and light poured in. A young woman sat on the floor with prison clothes on and her short brown hair down.

"Suki?" Sokka asked to make sure it was her.

Suki looked up because she recognized the voice. "Sokka?"

Sokka removed his mask with a big smile and Suki ran up to give him a hug. They held each other as Aang walked up behind them. He removed his mask and waved at Suki with a big cheesy grin and blushed at the scene he walked in on. Suki returned the smile and broke the hug to look into the big blue eyes she hadn't seen for so long and missed a lot.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked and then added, "… And I'm also getting a sense of déjà vu."

Sokka chuckled. "I know right? But there's not enough time to explain. We're here to rescue you. Are there any other Kyoshi Warriors here?"

"No…" Suki replied sadly. "I don't think there are. I was the only one they brought here. Three Fire Nation ships had attacked the island and took everyone away. Some people left in groups to prisons and others were by themselves, like me."

Sokka sighed and shook his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. "… I'm sorry Suki." He then took her hand and started to drag her out of the cell. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wait…" Aang said and Sokka and Suki stopped. "What about the other prisoners?"

Sokka shook his head. "Aang, we don't have a lot of time on our hands."

Sokka was right because that's when the alarms sounded.

"How could they know already?" Suki asked.

Aang then realized something. "Wait… did we close the door when we entered Sokka?"

Sokka realized it too and did a facepalm.

"Nice going," Suki teased.

Sokka slid his hand down his face and groaned, "Ugg…" He then dragged Suki out the door again. "Come on! We have to hurry!"

From far away Katara and Zuko heard the alarm as well.

"Zuko?" Katara asked. "… Is that what I think it is?"

Zuko nodded. "It is. Come on. They need help."

Zuko and Katara ran as fast as they could to the prison.

* * *

"Mai… why?" Ty Lee asked. "Why are you back with Azula?"

Mai shrugged in boredom. "I changed my mind about things."

That's all she would keep saying. Azula wondered if she would ever continue on with that.

"But… but Mai-"

"Ty Lee," Azula interrupted, agitated with not getting an answer yet, "are you going to join or not?" Ty Lee started to answer, but Azula cut her off again to work in her manipulative skills. "Because you know, in the end, I'll be Fire Lord in the Fire Nation… and if you join me… I'll make sure you'll be highly rewarded." She smirked.

Ty Lee stayed silent for only a few seconds and simply replied, "… No."

Azula's smirk fell. "Fine…" She turned and started walking out the door. "Rot in jail for all I care."

Azula left the cell and Mai began to follow, but stopped herself. She wanted to take one last look at her friend. Ty Lee and Mai stared at each other. Ty Lee's eyes were pleading for Mai to not go through with this, but Mai had no expression. It didn't take away from the fact that she did feel sorry for her friend though. She couldn't take her eyes off her.

"Mai!" Azula yelled from down the hall. "Let's go!"

With that, Mai closed the door on Ty Lee.

* * *

Sokka, Suki, and Aang ran down the hall and reached the end of it. They had come to a fork in the road and tried to figure out which way to go. The answer came to them when four guards came down the right corridor.

"Hey!" One guard yelled. "You there!"

Sokka, Suki, and Aang ran down the left corridor as the guards came after them. As Aang ran, he turned in mid-air and airbended at the guards, sending them back to where they were before. Sokka led Suki out a door and Aang followed close behind. They reached the front of the prison and stopped. They had just run into about twenty guards. The guards closed in and Sokka and Suki were ready to fight, but Aang stepped in and earthbended multiple rocks. The guards tried to defend themselves, but it was no use. They couldn't dodge the rocks in time. A few guards came up behind Aang, but Sokka and Suki blocked them. Sokka drew his sword that came along with the outfit he stole and attacked with all he had. Suki expertly dodged attacks and threw punches. Together, the three of them fought off the guards and continued to run back to where they thought Katara and Zuko were.

Katara and Zuko ran… Sokka, Suki, and Aang ran… and they were headed straight for each other. All of a sudden, BAM! Katara and Sokka ran into each other and Zuko and Suki ran into each other. Aang just stood there looking at his fallen friends.

"Whoa…" Aang said. "Are you guys ok?"

Everyone groaned and said, "ouch."

Suki looked to see who she had run into. When she realized it was Zuko, she looked shocked, but it didn't take long for that shock to turn to anger and she glared at him.

"You…"

Zuko looked at her confused as he rubbed his head. "Uh… yeah… me…"

It happened so fast and no one had time to stop her. Suki tackled and Zuko started to hit him. Zuko didn't strike back, but brought his arms up to defend himself.

"Whoa! Hey! Stop!" Zuko yelled.

"How dare you! How dare you turn your back on us! I thought you would stay on our side! Not follow in your father's footsteps! You… you lying, manipulative, traitor-"

"Suki stop!" Sokka yelled as he ran over and pulled Suki off Zuko.

Suki didn't struggle, but it didn't stop her from yelling. "How could you? I thought you wanted to help the world!"

"I do!" Zuko yelled in his defense. "Suki, I didn't betray you! It was my army! They betrayed me and are now following some guy who broke my dad and sister out!"

Suki calmed down and looked confused. She looked at Sokka and asked, "Is this true?" Sokka nodded and Suki gasped at what she had just done. "Zuko… I'm so sorry…."

"It's all right, it's all right," Zuko said calmly. "I understand."

Everyone soon forgot about Suki's outburst when they heard an explosion at the prison. They couldn't see what caused it, but they saw the huge mass of black smoke in the sky.

"What's going on?" Katara asked.

"I'll check," Aang said. Aang flew up to the top of a tree and peered out. He then yelled down to his friends, "There was an explosion! The prisoners are escaping!" He then flew back down.

"Do you think the prisoners created the explosion?" Suki asked.

"I don't know," Katara said, "… but if they did, why wouldn't they do it a long time ago?"

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, they escaped. I think we should do the same."

* * *

Azula and Mai walked out of the prison and saw the brothers looking far off. They looked too and saw the black smoke.

"What happened?" Azula asked.

"We don't know," Tomoki said, "There was some explosion."

Mai didn't say a word. She just watched the black smoke expand more into the sky and looked among the people she stood next to, to look at their expressions.

Azula then got the idea that the Avatar had possibly been there. "We need to head for it."

At that moment, Appa flew over their heads. They watched and when the bison was out of sight, everyone saw that Azula was furious.

Tomoya tried to calm her down by saying, "Whoa there little lady… just calm-"

Azula screamed. The blue flames engulfed her hands wildly and everyone carefully backed away from her.

* * *

The main Fire Nation ship finally ported at the Earth Kingdom. Rikiya, with Ozai standing beside him, stood on deck and looked out at the land. He smirked sinisterly.

Without looking at Ozai, Rikiya said to him, "We've finally made it… we're one… step… closer."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** Ooh… mysterious on how the explosion happened. There's a reason for it and it'll be revealed… at some point. ^.^;**

**Yes, I made Azula have a little tantrum on purpose. It'll lead up to future events that will be revealed as the whole story goes on. I hope you realized the little similarities between Azula and first season Zuko… the meditation with the three candles… wanting to hunt down the Avatar… easily losing temper… yeah, it's all there for a reason. Even with the little things I've mentioned Mai doing. Everything in this story happens for a reason and there are a lot of things that are connected to one another… but I won't tell you what. It'll all be revealed in due time. Until then, I'll just keep you guessing ^.^; lol. It's no fun for the reader and me if everything was given away. I like to surprise people… or hopefully surprise them. A lot of things haven't even been mentioned yet because I'm saving them for another chapter.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^.^ Yay! Suki's back! But poor Ty Lee… don't worry… she'll be back. Although it won't be any time soon… or in this book… maybe… I don't even know what I'll come up with to fill in the chapters I have planned… :/ sorry, but she'll appear when you least expect it. I guarantee it. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. The Mysterious Thefts

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know how in the cartoon series there were "filler" episodes… well… think about this chapter as a "filler" chapter… as well as the next three chapters heh heh ^.^; They're just for fun, but I hope you enjoy them all the same. This one, in particular, will be kind of a Sokka chapter in a way… sorta lol. He'll be doing his normal, goofy, Sokka behavior throughout most of the chapter lol and I had so much fun writing it! ^.^ In this chapter two random characters are revealed, but, as far as I know of, this will be the only time they show up. One is Seiichi (SAY ee chee) meaning "sincere one." Then there's Izo (EE zoh), but the website I found it on has no meaning for Japanese. Although this name is also German and Frisian and both have the meaning of "ice" and/or "iron." Yay to fun facts! ^.^ Ok, so this is my last day of freedom before I have to go back to college. So, the story is going to slow down a little. Sorry about that, but college is a busy time and rarely do I have free time. I'll see how things go. ^.^; Thanks for reading! **

**

* * *

**

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter Five: The Mysterious Thefts**

**

* * *

**

**Act 1**

**

* * *

**

In a small area of the woods, the Avatar and his friends slept well into the morning. Zuko was already awake though. He sat on the ground with his back against a tree, staring up at the sky in deep thought. Katara woke up and saw him.

"Hey Zuko," she said groggily. "Already up, huh?"

"Yeah… I couldn't sleep much."

She looked at him concerned. "Zuko… don't let what happened-"

A light tap on her shoulder cut her off. She looked behind her and saw that it was Sokka still half asleep.

"Hey," he said and put a finger to his lips, "… shush." He then put his head back down to sleep.

Katara glared and raised her voice saying, "Don't tell me to-"

"Hey guys," Suki interrupted fully awake now, "Aang's still sleeping."

Everyone looked to see Aang still curled up in his sleeping bag snoring softly, but Sokka didn't bother. He was still trying to go back to sleep.

He said, "Which is exactly what I'm trying to do so… shush." He buried himself inside his sleeping bag.

Suki smirked. She knew what would get Sokka moving. "But I thought you wanted to go shopping today."

Sokka sat straight up with a big cheesy smile. "I'm up. Let's go."

"I'll stay here," Zuko said. "You guys go on ahead."

"But Zuko," Katara said, "we're supposed to be finding Earth Kingdom clothes so we can blend in. We'll just bring Aang something."

Zuko tried to think up an excuse. "I-I-I know, but… someone's gotta stay here and make sure Aang stays safe. Just bring me something too."

"Aang will be fine. I know he's tired, but if something happens he'll be ready. You should really come with us Zuko."

Zuko didn't answer.

Katara looked at him concerned. "Zuko-"

"Look, I'm sorry," Zuko cut her off with an agitated tone, "but… I just don't want to go, ok?"

"Well… all right," Katara said still concerned. She looked at Suki and Sokka who also looked concerned. "Come on. Let's go."

The three started to walk away, but Katara stole glances back at Zuko. She was really concerned about him. It wasn't good to keep emotions bottled up inside. She saw him just staring straight ahead in deep thought. This wasn't healthy for him.

They reached a large village with many places to shop. Sokka spotted store after store that intrigued him. He was so excited. Finally, he spotted a clothing store that he really liked. He jumped up and down and pointed to it.

"Ooh! How 'bout that one! Let's go!

He took Suki's hand and dragged her over to the shop. Katara chuckled and shook her head at her brother's childish glee. They walked into the store and found they had absolutely everything clothes wise… shirts, pants, shoes, dresses, skirts, hats, belts… everything! Sokka darted around the store left and right, grabbing things here and there without even looking. He tried some on. Some were too big, others too small. Certain outfits he tried on were a mixed between small and big, and then he finally found a nice pair of green pants and a green shirt with gold trim around the cuffs and collar. Suki found a long, casual, light green, spaghetti strapped dress and Katara found something that looked a little similar to her Fire Nation outfit she wore three years ago, except it was green with the outer skirt being gold. She found a nice outfit for Aang. His was a green shirt and pants too, but the shirt had a gold trim at the collar and gold buttons down the middle. Sokka still searched around the store to look at more things and found a shirt he found hilarious. It was light green with yellow polka dots.

"Ooh! I think we should get this one for Zuko!" He snickered.

Suki and Katara chuckled.

"Sokka I don't think that's a good idea," Katara said still laughing.

"Oh come on! It'll put a smile on his face!"

Suki continued to laugh. "Or make him more angry than he already is…"

They stopped laughing. They knew that Zuko was going through a hard time right now and felt a little guilty about laughing.

Katara broke the awkward moment by saying, "I think I saw a nice outfit for him over there by the window."

She walked over to grab it. It was a green vest with green pants and an undershirt that was light green. The vest overlapped in the front and had a gold trim at the collar and the front with gold buttons down the side.

With their shopping finished they returned back to their campsite to see Aang was still asleep and Zuko still staring straight ahead.

"We're back!" Katara announced.

Zuko gave a weak smile. "Great. So, what all did you get?"

Aang suddenly sat up with a loud gasp. He had had another dream. Everyone jumped back and looked at him confused.

"Aang? What's wrong?" Katara asked.

"Someone needs our help," Aang replied. He meant business. "We've to go. Now!"

He ran on Appa and quickly took control of the reigns. His friends hurried and climbed on Appa still confused as to what was going on, taking their shopping bags with them. Poor Momo was still asleep and they scared him. He hissed in disapproval at this disturbance.

"Who's in trouble?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know," Aang said.

"Well… that's very helpful…"

"Yip yip!" Aang called to Appa as everyone was settled on the saddle and they soared off.

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked.

"To a village. It won't take long to get there since we're flying on Appa."

"Ah… I see…" Zuko said half listening, half in thought and then added, "Look… guys… don't tell anyone that I'm the Fire Lord. I want to keep it a secret."

"What? Why?" Katara asked.

"Everyone probably thinks… no, they _do_ think I started the attack. If they find out who I am… well… you all saw how Suki acted because she thought I betrayed everyone…"

Suki blushed, but everyone looked at Zuko sadly again.

"We promise Zuko," Aang said sincerely.

Zuko gave another weak smile as a thank you and in no time, they found themselves at the village. The village was lively with many people walking back and forth. There were many stores and homes made out of the finest stone. People seemed happy, but there were a few who weren't; a bad day maybe?

"Are you sure this is the right place Aang?" Katara asked.

"Yep."

They climbed down Appa and an elderly man in his sixties approached them welcomingly with excitement.

"Welcome! Welcome!" The man called out. "Once I saw the bison I knew who was visiting the village. The Avatar and the heroes are always welcome here anytime."

Aang smiled. "Why, thank y-"

"Now!" The man couldn't hide his excitement as he cut Aang off. "Let's take a little tour, shall we? You're going to love the village. Come on! Come on! Don't be shy! Just follow me and I'll tell you everything you need to know!"

The man started walking away with a little skip in his step. He sure was energetic for his age. Aang looked at his friends and they looked back. They shrugged at each other and decided to follow the man.

* * *

Two large Fire Nation vehicles drove through the Earth Kingdom forest. Inside one of them were Rikiya and Ozai. Ozai sat to the right of Rikiya with a pleased smirk on his face. He liked that the Fire Nation was so close to conquering the world once again. Rikiya, on the other hand, sat there completely bored with his left shoulder on the arm of the chair and his head resting on his hand. Since in the Earth Kingdom it was a little warm and they weren't traveling in the cool, ocean breeze, Rikiya had taken off his black cloak. He now wore black pants and a black, sleeveless shirt that showed off muscular arms.

Rikiya looked at a general standing beside him and asked, "Just out of curiosity… do you think this vehicle could possibly move any faster?"

The general hesitated. "Uh… well… sir, the vehicle is already going as fast as it can."

Rikiya nodded unpleased and sighed, "Ok…"

A male servant entered the room. He hesitated about walking up to Rikiya, but did so anyway and asked, "Excuse me sir, but would you like something to drink?"

Rikiya gave it a thought to consider it. "Why, yes I would. I'll have just have a glass of water. Thank you."

The servant nodded and then asked Ozai, "And for you sir?"

"Uh… no thanks. I'm perfectly content."

The servant bowed and walked away as Rikiya said to Ozai with a rasied eyebrow, "Yes… I can see that."

Ozai glared at Rikiya's sarcastic remark, but ignored it and asked, "So, Rikiya… tell me the plan once more."

Rikiya moaned in annoyance and put his left finger to his temple with his arm still on the arm of the chair. "Ozai… I've already told you like fifty times already…"

"I know, I know… but I just love hearing it."

Rikiya rolled his eyes. He was really getting tired of Ozai. The sooner he made him Fire Lord the better, but before he could say anything, the vehicle suddenly stopped. Both Rikiya and Ozai were confused. Rikiya stood up and went outside to check out what the problem was. Five platypus-bears stood in front of the vehicle blocking the way. Too bad the vehicles didn't maneuver so well, otherwise they could've just easily drove around them. Five guards tried to shoo the animals away, but the animals roared and they backed away in fear.

"D-don't be afraid m-men!" One guard stuttered. "W-we can t-take it!"

Rikiya rolled his eyes and shook his head as he said under his breath, "Idiots."

* * *

The elderly man was still giving everyone the tour. Aang looked around for the man he saw in his dream, but couldn't find him anywhere. Was his dream really just that? A dream?

"Now here is where you can do all the shopping you need," the man informed. "You need it? They've got it!"

Sokka opened his mouth at the sight of how huge the store was. "… Shopping… must… shop…"

"Hey," Suki said as she nudged him. "Snap out of it zombie boy."

Sokka did snap out of it. "Huh, what?" He saw his girlfriend and thought she had asked him something. "Oh! Uh… yeah! That sounds great Suki! I'm all for it!" He gave her a big cheesy smile.

Suki raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Sokka, I wasn't even talking about anything… I just nudged you…" She laughs.

Sokka rubbed his neck. "Ah… well…" He then acted smooth. "I'm sure even if you did say something, it still would've sounded great."

Suki was sucked into the comment, smiled, and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on… we're getting left behind on the tour." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along to catch up.

"And over here," the man continued to say on the tour, "is the place you can learn a little history about our village. It's quite interesting if you ever what to give it a read."

"That's nice sir," Aang said politely. "I'll do just that… uh… but I have a question."

The man jumped up and down. "Ooh! A question! Ask away!"

"Well… have there been any strange happenings going on or any problems in the village lately?"

The man gave it some thought. "Well… no things have actually been great around here!" He then thought of something. "… Although…"

"Although…?"

As the man spoke he made his voice creepy and mysterious, trying to scare them with what he was saying. "Well… there's been these mysterious happenings going on here."

"What kind of mysterious happenings?"

"Strange occurrences… things that no one can explain… like-"

"Catch him!" A voice yelled from far away, cutting off the man as he was about to explain what was going on.

Everyone turned around and saw a young man, somewhere in his early twenties, running through the village as three men chased him. People jumped out of the way and screamed as they almost were trampled. The three men tackled the young man to the ground and wrestled him to try to hold him still. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the random event.

Sokka said to Aang, "So… is that the man that needs our help?"

"… Yep…"

* * *

**Act 2**

* * *

A man in his fifties approached the young man who had just been tackled. He wore an off shade of white, silk, robes and gold trim at the cuffs of his sleeve. Gold buttons separated evenly down the middle and had a gold zigzag pattern. This man had to be the "headman" of the village.

"Seiichi!" one of the men, who was the tackler, called out to the headman. "We got him!"

Seiichi looked at the young man who was still struggling on the ground to break free from his captures and said disappointed, "So Izo… we've finally caught you in the act…" He looked at the three tacklers. "… Bring him."

The men started to drag Izo away as Aang and his friends watched. They were still shocked from the event that had happened in front of them.

"Wait!" Aang yelled out to Seiichi. "Where are you taking him?"

Seiichi turned around and looked at Aang curiously wondering who had just spoken out against him. When his eyes landed on the arrow tattoos, he knew exactly who Aang was.

"Oh! You're the Avatar! Well, um, this young man is to be tried for a crime."

"I never committed any crime!" Izo yelled at Seiichi.

"If you don't mind sir," Aang said, "I would like to be a part of it."

Seiichi shrugged. "Well, I really can't say no to the Avatar. I will be more than delighted if you took part."

The trial took place in Seiichi's office. The walls where made out of the fine stone, a beautiful, circular gold and green rug with the design of a badger mole laid in the middle of the room, wooden bookcases aligned the walls, and Seiichi's wooden desk sat in the back of the room a little beyond the rug. Aang and his friends stood to the side as Izo stood in the middle of the rug, waiting to be tried.

"Izo…" Seiichi began with disappointment again, "I'm sorry that this has to happen. You're a very nice young man, but… you have been accused of thievery."

"I've never stolen anything in my life!" Izo yelled. He was angry for having to be here.

"An item stolen from someone's home yesterday was found in your house!" Seiichi yelled back. "As well as many other items from previous thefts!"

"I have no idea how they got there!"

Katara stepped forward and said, "Seiichi, maybe Izo didn't steal anything. Maybe he's being framed."

"Yeah!" Aang said agreeing with Katara as he stepped beside her. "It makes sense sir. Maybe Izo really didn't steal anything."

Seiichi thought about the possibility, but wasn't sure. "Hhhmmm… I don't know."

Sokka cleared his throat and stepped forward as well. "Sir, if you don't mind, maybe I can run a little plan by you."

"Oh! A plan! By all means, go right ahead."

"Uh, well, you see I would need to speak to alone." He then tried to whisper so Izo couldn't hear. "We don't want the criminal to hear it, right?"

"Hey!" Izo yelled, apparently he could hear Sokka.

Seiichi gave it some thought and nodded. "… Eh, very well."

Sokka and Seiichi found a quite place near the woods, a little ways away from Seiichi's office. No one else was around or in earshot. They could talk in private peacefully.

"Please, tell me this plan of yours," Seiichi said as she sat down on a large rock.

"Well, sir, what my sister and friend said may be true. Izo could be being framed… or there is also the possibility that Izo is lying about not stealing anything. The only way I can see which one is true or not is by having someone spy on Izo for a while… maybe like a detective or something…"

Seiichi nodded thoughtfully. "That could work… but where are we going to find a detective?"

Sokka cleared his throat again and smiled. "Well… I don't want to brag, but you're looking at one of the best sleuths there is. I'm great at it!"

Seiichi was amazed. "Really? Have you investigated a lot of crimes?"

"Ah, well… maybe just a couple… ok, ok I've solved quite a lot, _and_ I've solved each and every one of them."

"Wow… you're hired!"

Sokka smiled. It worked! It really worked! Him and Seiichi shook hands on it and walked back to the office. Seiichi sat behind his desk and pretended not to have good news. Sokka stood next to his friends. They gave Sokka pleading looks to tell them everything, but Sokka just gave them a wink.

"Izo…" Seiichi began intensely, but then smiled, "you're free to go."

Izo was confused, but went along with it. "Oh, uh, thank you…"

Izo turned and walked out of the office to go back home. Sokka gave a wink and a thumbs-up to Seiichi and Seiichi retuned it. Sokka walked outside with his friends behind him, still confused as to what happened.

"Sokka, what did you say to Seiichi to let Izo go free?" Suki asked.

Sokka waved his finger. "Nuh uh… a good sleuth never reveals his secrets."

Everyone realized what he was up to now. Katara, Suki, and Aang smirked and shook their heads. Zuko just rolled his eyes.

Katara then teased her brother by saying, "Aren't sleuths suppose to keep it a secret that they actually _are_ sleuths?"

Sokka looked at her annoyed. "Ok, the secrets start _now_ then."

Katara and Suki chuckled together as Sokka walked off to do his sleuthing duties. He found Izo and followed him around with his old sleuthing hat and new pipe he found at one of the stores. He was practically stalking Izo. Sokka peeked around corners and hid behind buildings when Izo turned around, getting the sensation that someone was following him. Sokka peeked around a building and watched as Izo bought some food at an outside market. He didn't know that Katara was sneaking up on him.

"So how's the sleuthing going?" She asked.

Sokka screamed and turned around quickly, but glared when he saw who it was. "Katara! Don't sneak up on me when I'm sleuthing!"

Katara chuckled. "Sorry… but how _is _it going?"

"Ssssshhhhh…." He then whispered, "He might hear you."

Katara teased, "Sure he will… he can really hear us from all the way over here."

"All right, all right," Sokka said annoyed, but then continued ominously as he peeked around the corner again, "he hasn't done much… he's just buying some food…"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah… I'm sure that's very mysterious."

Sokka turned back around and tried to defend himself from being absurd. "Hey, hey… you never know," he then acted sophisticated with his hat and pipe, "he could be using that food to mutate them so they will eat people!"

Katara rolled her eyes again. "Oh Sokka, give it a rest with the food eating people nonsense." She then walked away.

"Hey! You'll see! One day my dream will come true! I know it!"

Sokka then quickly looked back around the corner. Izo was gone. Sokka carefully came out from around the building he was hiding behind and walked down the path, looking for his suspect. When Sokka reached the end of the village he stopped near a building. He couldn't find Izo at all.

"Hey," Izo said as he came out from behind the building Sokka stopped next to.

Sokka was startled and then tried to act inconspicuous. "Oh… hey Izo… what's up?"

"Look. I know what you're doing," Izo said with attitude. "Just know that I haven't stolen anything, ok? So back off and stop following me!"

Izo stormed off and, eventually, was out of sight. Sokka wouldn't give up. He had to figure out what was going on with Izo, so he continued to search for him. As he searched, he found Zuko sitting on an outside picnic table writing letters.

Sokka walked up casually and said, "Hey Zuko…"

Zuko didn't look up as he continued to write. "Hey… how's they, uh, _sleuthing _coming along?"

"Oh it's going great… yep… I think I might be coming close to solving it…"

Zuko finally looked up. He knew Sokka was lying. "You've lost him, haven't you?"

Sokka slouched. "Yeah… he caught me and now I can't find him anywhere." He then looked at the letters as Zuko continued to write. "So… what are you doing?"

"I'm writing letters to my Uncle and the Earth King. They need to know the truth of what's going on."

Sokka nodded. "I know your Uncle will believe you… but do you think the Earth King will?"

Zuko sighed. "I hope so…" He finished the letters and rolled them up. "Well, good luck with your _sleuthing_. I'm going to go mail these letters."

Sokka then said meaning business, "Will do, will do."

As Zuko walked away, a little girl came skipping up beside Sokka and picked a flower out of the ground. She looked up at him and gave him a curious look.

"Hey mister," she said. "That's a funny hat and pipe."

Sokka looked down at the little girl and said, "This is a hat and pipe specially made for sleuths like myself little kid."

The girl shrugged. "Whatever. You still look goofy." She skipped away.

Sokka slouched and glared at the girl. Kids today. They just don't respect a good sleuth when they see one.

Night had come and the village was quiet. Everyone was snug in their beds and fast asleep… except for Sokka. He still hadn't found Izo. The only option left at the moment was to find his house. Sokka crept around the village, peeking into windows, and tried not to be detected. He wasn't having much luck.

Izo slept peacefully in his bed. Without any warning, his eyes opened, he stood up, and walked out the front door in a trance like state. The door had squeaked and Sokka heard it. He peeked, yet again, around another corner of a house to see Izo walking outside and entering someone's home. Sokka was all prepared to go after him until Zuko walked up behind him, still half asleep.

"Sokka…"

Sokka jumped and screamed, but calmed himself when he saw who it was. "Oh Zuko… it's just you… I really wish people would stop sneaking up behind me."

"Sorry… but why aren't you back at our place. Katara's getting worried and literally pushed me out the door to come find you."

"Ssssshhhhh… Izo is up and it looks like he's robbing someone's house. Come on!"

Sokka led Zuko to the house and, when they entered, they saw Izo looking around the place trying to figure out what to take. He didn't look right though. It was like Izo had no idea what he was doing. His eyes were glossy and his movements were rigid.

Zuko whispered to Sokka, "It's like he's in a trance."

Sokka then yelled at Izo, "Stop right there!"

Izo was startled and came out of his trance. He looked confused as to where he was at first, but then became dizzy and started to stumble.

"He's gonna fall!" Sokka yelled.

Zuko ran over to Izo and tried to catch him, but he lost his grip and Izo fell to the floor. Sokka and Zuko just stared at the fallen young man.

"… Oops…" Zuko said.

Sokka did a facepalm.

* * *

**Act 3**

* * *

The next morning, Izo was being tried again in Seiichi's office. Seiichi was yet again disappointed as he sat at his desk. Izo stood in the middle of the rug again, but this time with Sokka and Zuko standing nearby.

"Izo…" Seiichi said in disappointment and sighed. "I was hoping that maybe you were being framed, but… with what happened last night-"

"Sir, may I say something," Sokka said cutting in. Seiichi noded. "When Zuko and I saw Izo, it looked like he was in some sort of trance."

"It's true sir," Zuko said cutting in too. "I don't think he knew what he was doing."

"They're right!" Izo yelled in defense. "I didn't! And I still don't! I don't remember anything. The last thing I remember was going to sleep and the next thing I know… I'm standing in someone's house with _these two goons_ looking at me."

"Hey!" Sokka and Zuko yelled.

"We're backing you up here!" Sokka yelled.

"I know!" Izo countered. "But did you really have to follow me everywhere and act like such a creeper?"

Sokka and Izo argued back and forth.

"SILENCE!" Seiichi yelled and it made Izo and Sokka stop. Seiichi then continued calmly to Izo, "… We must figure out what has caused you to go into these trances. Maybe we'll find it in your house."

Izo didn't like the idea much, but everyone went to his house and started looking around. He leaned against the wall, watching them with an annoyed look on his face. He rolled his eyes a few times, but everyone just ignored him and continued to search. Katara and Seiichi entered Izo's bedroom and looked in the closet, under the bed, and, finally, Katara opened a drawer in a nightstand next to Izo's bed. Inside was a purple jewel. It was circular, had a smooth surface, and was only the size of a marble.

Katara picked it up and showed it to everyone. "Hey… what's this? It looks like some kind of jewel."

Seiichi took a good look. "That looks familiar…" He tried to remember where he saw it, but couldn't think of anything.

Izo then said with attitude, "I found that in the woods. I didn't steal it. Besides… why would a jewel cause me to go into a trance?"

Aang looked at the jewel and immediately was placed into a trance. He gently took the jewel away from Katara and hurriedly walked out of the house with it.

"Hey! Stop!" Izo yelled as she chased after him.

Everyone else decided to follow. Aang led them down the village and to the woods. Not once did Aang look back.

"Where could he be going?" Suki asked.

"Who knows," Zuko replied, "but hopefully he'll lead us to answers."

Everyone continued to follow Aang until he stopped in front of a stone wall. The wall had a design of a young woman with a flowing dress. One of her hands were up as if she was holding something. Aang stared at the wall for a while and then snapped out of his trance. He looked around at his surroundings and was confused.

"Whoa… how did I get here?"

"You led us here," Katara answered.

Aang turned around quickly. He didn't know anyone was behind him. "Oh… I did?"

Izo stepped forward and demanded, "I want my jewel back!"

The woods suddenly grew dark all around them. It was so dark that no one could even see their own hand in front of their face.

"… Creepy…" Sokka said out loud.

The design of the young woman glowed a spiritual blue. The light was bright and everyone shielded their eyes from it. A spirit of a woman formed out of the design and looked at the group before her. She looked angry at Izo.

"The jewel is NOT yours."

Seiichi then said out loud remembering where he had seen the jewel. "I knew I recognized the jewel… it's part of the design on the stone." He pointed to the design where the woman had her hand holding something. Above her hand was a small hole. "The jewel is supposed to go there… like she's holding it."

The spirit continued to look angrily at Izo and yelled, "GIVE IT BACK NOW!"

Wind started blowing around them. It was violent. Leaves and branches where snapped off trees and blew around. Everyone was scared and tried to dodge the branches without getting hit.

Izo stepped forward confidently and pleaded in forgiveness. He had to yell against the wind. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was yours. I saw it on the ground one day and thought it would make a nice gift for my girlfriend who's away taking care of her sick father. I'll give it back! I promise!"

The spirit must of believed him because she faded away and the woods became lit again. Izo snatched the jewel out of Aang's hand and quickly put it back into the hole in the stone wall. He sighed with relief, but he was sad that he had to give up the jewel.

Seiichi said, "It appears that the spirit was punishing Izo for stealing something of hers by making him steal items from others."

Izo replied quietly, but defensively without turning around, "I swear I didn't know it was hers."

"I know and you are forgiven. The jewel probably just fell out somehow and rolled away. You did nothing wrong… and that's why I'm letting you go free…"

Izo hung his head in disappointment and sadness because he really wanted that jewel for his girlfriend, but replied to Seiichi saying, "Thank you."

He didn't look at anyone and walked back home. Everyone knew he was upset and didn't go after him. They felt sad for him, even though he was being rude most of the time, but his heart was in the right place. All he wanted was something for his girlfriend. Someone, he clearly loved and cared about.

Sokka capped on his sleuthing hat and said proudly, "Well! The mystery is solved!"

Everyone smiled. Good old Sokka. He always knows how to lighten a deep situation.

That afternoon, Aang and his friends were packed and ready to go as they wore their new Earth Kingdom clothes. They had gathered more supplies from the village to help them on their journey; which added even more to the load. The trip to the village was done. They had helped the man that Aang had in his dream; which still confused them. Why was Aang having these strange dreams? Izo came running up behind to them, as they were still getting ready.

"Hey! Are you guys leaving already?"

"Yeah," Aang replied not sure at how Izo's mood was. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

"I see… well… I just wanted to apologize for being so rude to everyone. I know that you were just trying to help… so, thank you… for everything."

Everyone smiled brightly. Izo wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"You're welcome," Aang said.

Izo smiled. "Oh! I also just got a letter from my girlfriend. She says she's coming back tomorrow and her father is doing well again."

"That's great Izo! I wish you all the best."

"Thanks… well, you guys have a safe trip."

"Thanks. I hope we will."

Izo smiled again. Everyone could tell he was still a little disappointed about losing the jewel, but at least he was in a better mood. They then continued to pack, but Zuko decided to walk over to Izo and pulled him over to the side to talk to him alone.

"Is something wrong?" Izo asked.

"No, no… everything's fine… I just wanted to tell you that I wish you and your girlfriend a lot of luck."

Izo smiled big. "Thanks!" His smile faded a little. "I was planning on using the jewel to propose to her though…" He shrugs. "Oh well… I'll make sure to find her the best ring I can find."

Zuko nodded. He understood, but then an idea came to him and he put his hand in his pocket saying, "You know… I don't know why I held on to this, but…" He pulled out his hand and held an engagement ring. "You need this more than I do."

Izo was shocked. "Wow! Really? Are you sure?"

"Yep. It's all yours."

"Wow…" He took the ring. "Thank you."

"No problem." He then started to walk away and smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks again!"

Zuko nodded and continued walking back to help his friends pack. He had mixed emotions about giving the ring away. A part of him didn't want to. Him and Mai had shared a lot, but things did seem to slow down between them. He had thought about their relationship a lot. It did seem like they were going to be together forever, but sometimes things just happen. They gave it a shot and it didn't work out. Another part of him was glad to give the ring away. It meant that maybe he was ready to move on and it took a lot of weight off his shoulders of being hurt. It didn't, however, take away the fact that he still felt he was to blame for never seeing anything of what the Fire Nation was doing. He never saw any hint of it. He made a vow to himself. When this terrible occurrence was all over, he would be more aware of everything. He would not let anything like this get by him again.

* * *

Rikiya stood outside, leaning against the vehicle bored as the guards still tried to scare away the platypus-bear. They had given up for the night, hoping the animals would leave, but when they had came out in the morning, the animals were still there. Ozai came up to Rikiya and noticed the guards. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"They're still trying to scare away the platypus-bear?"

"… Yep…" Rikiya replied still bored.

Ozai sighed at Rikiya's simple answer and asked agitated, "How much longer is this going to take?"

Rikiya shrugged. "Eh… we'll see… I would help, but… it amuses me quite a bit."

Ozai raised his eyebrow. This was Rikiya amused? What would it be like if he was excited? He didn't bother asking. Instead, he looked around and spotted a Fire Nation prison nearby.

"What's that?" He pointed in the direction.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Rikiya said in a non-caring voice. He then sighed and said in a fast pace because he didn't want to explain it, "A long time ago I secretly sent some Fire Nation soldiers over here to build the prisons secretly and once they got the signal from me, they would start arresting people."

Ozai was unpleased by Rikiya's lack of wanting to explain. "And have they?"

Rikiya was still bored. "… Yep…"

Ozai was pleased by that fact, but had another question. "I've been wondering though… what's happening to the Fire Nation since no one is around to watch it?"

Rikiya wasn't bored anymore. He looked at Ozai with a smile and said casually, "Oh don't worry about that… I have a well-trained general watching over the nation. The people are quite safe with him."

At the Fire Nation, people were being arrested and led inside a vehicle that would take them up to the main prison.

"If I learn of anyone else being loyal to Zuko," the general in charged yelled at the citizens, "you'll be arrested too until you worship the appropriate Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. You must be loyal to Ozai!"

"So," Rikiya said still in casual tone, "anymore questions?"

Ozai shook his head and smiled. "No."

"Good… good…"

Rikiya was really pleased to hear that answer. He was really getting annoyed by all the questions and, hopefully, that was the end of them. He doubted it, but maybe he'll have a little break from them for a while. He looked over at the guards trying to scare the animals away. They weren't making any progress. He rolled his eyes and sighed. The amusement was over and he was growing tired of them.

"Oh let me do it," Rikiya said as he walked over to them. He simply threw one large fireball at the ground and it was enough to scare the animals away. Rikiya sighed, "Finally," and turned back to the guards. "All right men, back to the vehicle." He began to shoo them. "Come on. Let's go."

Everyone walked into the vehicle and began to go to their stations to continue their journey. Rikiya stood in the front as everyone walked about, chatting. He knew there was a general standing near him. It was a general that he had given an important task to do. It was very simple. Hold on to the map.

"I need my map general," Rikiya said without turning around.

The general went to grab the map from the holder he at attached to his left hip and realized… it was gone. He replied nervously, "Um… I'm sorry sir, but… it seems like I've lost it."

Everyone in the room suddenly stopped as they overheard what the general said. An eerie silence filled the room. There was fear in their eyes as they looked back and forth between Rikiya and the general. Ozai stood to the side confused. He never saw something like this before. Maybe when he was Fire Lord, but not when it wasn't toward him. People really _did _seem to be afraid of Rikiya. Ozai looked over at the young man. Rikiya stood tall, but didn't look back. If he was mad, he showed no sign of it. He was completely calm.

Rikiya looked straight ahead and asked calmly with only a hint of agitation, "What?"

The general gulped. "I… lost the map."

Rikiya looked slightly to his right side where two soldiers stood and kept calm. "Go on top of the vehicle… and push him off it."

The general hung his head. The two soldiers didn't want to do it. They knew it would kill the general, but they had no choice. If they didn't, who knows what Rikiya would do to them? The soldiers grabbed the general by the arms and started to drag him out of the room to go on top of the vehicle.

"Wait. Stop." Rikiya commanded calmly. The soldiers did as they were told. "… Wait until the vehicle is moving… and toss him in front of it."

The soldiers continued walking. Ozai stood there impressed, but he couldn't help feeling concerned. Rikiya certainly was taking control of things really well; maybe too well. Rikiya finally turned around when the soldiers left the room and everyone jumped back in fear. Rikiya gazed at everyone, except Ozai, and made sure that he had their full attention. His stare was deadly. If anyone messed with him now, he would not be afraid to kill them on the spot.

Rikiya continued to speak calmly. "You must know… that you must never get on my bad side… or else… simply… you die… is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone replied in the room.

Rikiya gave a sinister smirk. "Good."


	7. The Wedding

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **** Hey everyone! If… there's anyone reading this story lol Well, I haven't updated for over a year now so, it makes sense if no one has been lol There's a very good reason for no updates. There's been a lot going on with college, my family had to move and there was this big ordeal with it and now we're trying to find somewhere else to move, and now this year in college is even more hectic… There's just been a lot of crazy things going on. The only good that's happened is having a boyfriend and friends who I can talk to about anything and everything. Thank you everyone for that. **

** Anywho lol here's the next chapter. It's yet another filler… sort of, sorry about that, but come next chapter a character we know will return! I won't tell you who though… muwahaha. **

**Just to let you know, yet again there is another dream/vision sequence. Same like before it is shown in italics. Also, I know The Legend of Korra is now on, but I came up with this story way before TLoK was even announced so, unfortunately nothing for the sequel will be in here… unless I find a way to use it. Who knows what will happen as the story goes on lol. Enjoy the story! :D **

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter 6: The Wedding**

* * *

**Act 1**

* * *

_Aang opened his eyes slowly, thinking he was waking up from sleeping, but he realized he was standing up in a large open space._

_ "What?" he said as he looked around confused. "Was I sleep walking?" He scratched his head then saw the familiar white fog around him. "Oh… it's another vision."_

_ He then realized the fog was less dense. Was it beginning to fade? He continued to watch it, but it wasn't changing. Maybe it only happened during each vision? Front a short distance in front of him, he saw a stone wall. Curiosity struck him and he walked to it. The stone looked bumpy, but the texture looked smooth and the same color as sand. To Aang, it was strangely familiar, but he couldn't figure out where he would have seen this kind of stone before. It drove him crazy that he couldn't think of it._

_ "Aang…" a soft, familiar voice said from behind him._

_ Aang turned around, snapping out of his thoughts, and expecting to see the girl, but instead he saw two people standing there; a man and a woman. To him, clearly these people were from the Earth Kingdom judging by their clothing. The man had a simple, tan shirt on with a dark green vest over it that buttoned down the center. His pants were the same tan color and his shoes were green and slip-ons. Circular glasses rested on the bridge of his nose and his short, black hair was messy and somewhat curly. The woman was wearing a long, dark green dress that was made out of a soft fabric with yellow trimming around the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the dress. Her hair was long, brown and curly; going a little past her shoulders. Their faces looked expressionless; giving the appearance that they may not be real or alive. Aang tried to figure out who the two people were and why they were being shown to him, but it was a message that was being sent to him. From behind the young couple, the Airbender girl stepped forward. She took the couple's hands gently in hers and interlocked their fingers together so they were holding hands. _

_ She looked up and smiled at Aang so kindly. "Help them," was her simple demand._

Aang automatically woke up, sitting up while looking around. He saw he was in the wooded area in the real world where him and his friends decided to sleep. She breathed a sigh of relief; thankful for being back in this world. These visions he was having were weird. There was never a time in his mind where he wasn't thinking about them and why he was having them.

"That was so weird," Aang said to himself. Momo landed next to Aang and cuddled up next to him. Aang laughed a little and petted the adorable lemur. "Hi Momo. I bet you're happy you're not having these weird dreams." Momo looked up at him with a blank stare and blinked a few times; not understanding what Aang was talking about.

Sokka was the only one sleeping in as everyone else was ready to go. Where they were headed, they weren't sure, but they knew they had to track down this mysterious man. They didn't know his name and didn't know what he looked like. It was definitely going to be a hard search. Plus, with Aang having visions, they knew they had to follow them, but it would be harder to search for bad guys and go on dream quests when everyone wasn't up. Katara picked up a small stone and threw it at Sokka's head as her brother slept.

"Sokka wake up," Katara demanded.

"Mmmmmmm…" Sokka moaned in protest as he didn't budge an inch, but clearly he was up now. He just didn't want to do anything today.

Katara picked up another stone and threw it at Sokka's head again. "Sokka. Wake. Up." She demanded more sternly.

"MMMMMmmmm!" Sokka protested more; getting annoyed now, but still didn't move.

"Sokka wake up!" Katara finally yelled and this time threw a branch at his head.

"Ow! Katara!" Sokka yelled back as he sat up and rubbed his head.

"Yay! You're up! Let's go," Katara said with a smile.

Sokka stilled rubbed his head and looked at her with annoyance. "Go where?"

"Aang had another dream and-"

"Nuh un, oh no," Sokka protested again while shaking his head, "I'm not going on another wild, crazy, spirit vision trip."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh Sokka, the trip wasn't that bad the last time."

"Are you kidding! That spirit would've killed us!"

"You don't know that."

"I know that that wind was violent. Who knows what else she could do!"

"Well, I don't think this one will be too bad," Aang said from a distance; ending the argument. Katara and Sokka watched him approach with Suki and Zuko standing beside him. Aang continued, "I mean, it looks like I just have to get these two people together or something."

Sokka scoffed as he stood. "Oh, so what are you now? The expert of love?" Suki smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!" Sokka yelled and rubbed his head again. "Alright, alright, I'm up. We'll go."

As Sokka tried to get himself ready, Katara stood and took Aang's hand, pulling him over to the side. She needed to ask him something in private.

"Is something wrong?" Aang asked when they stopped at a far enough distance for the others to not overhear.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you something. It's been on my mind lately… Well, it's been on everyone's minds lately."

Aang looked at her confused. "Ok… what's your question?"

"Well… we all want to know what your visions are about. Why are you having them?"

"Ah," Aang said nodding; now understanding. He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well… I don't know why I'm having them… it's nothing much really…" He was afraid of her reaction if he told her. She knew how jealous she could get.

"Of course it is, Aang. I mean, you've had visions before, but never like this and never this many at once."

"Yeah, well… it's just… very unusual."

"A lot of things that happen to us are unusual."

Aang laughed sheepishly. "Well… yeah, you got me there."

"So, tell me Aang. What's up?"

"Ok, promise you won't freak out?"

"I promise."

"You promise, promise?"

"Aang, I promise, now tell me."

"Ok, ok… well, in my visions I'm always in this white fog and I'm walking on a stone path. Then I'm shown visions of where I need to be at to help people out."

There was a long pause as Katara waited for him to finish, but he didn't.

"And that's it?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's all that happens? And this would make me freak out because…?"

"Well… there is something else…"

"Ok, tell me."

"In my visions there's always this… girl and-"

"A girl?" Katara asked cutting him off. She raised her eyebrow again and her tone was disapproving.

Aang grimaced at the tone of voice. "… Yes and-"

"Who is she?"

"I don't know, but-"

"So you've never met?"

"No, but Katara-"

"So it might be possible that these visions could show you that you might meet her someday?"

"I don't know Katara… maybe-"

"Maybe?"

"I mean no! No, we'll never meet."

"Is she pretty?"

"Well, yes-"

"Ug!"

"I mean yes, I mean no, I mean… you're much prettier!"

"Well, I hope you two are happy together!" Katara yelled and then stormed off to go help everyone pack.

"Aw man," Aang sighed. "What do I do now?"

* * *

Outside a tavern bar in a small village in the Earth Kingdom, Azula and Mai stood loitering outside the building. Mai leaned her back against the wall as Azula stood straight; wanting to show off her power. Her arms were crossed and her one hand had her fingers tapping impatiently on the opposite arm. She was obviously agitated. Mai sighed, being completely bored. She remained quiet, but took a glance at Azula's tapping fingers. She rolled her eyes when Azula wasn't looking in her direction. Azula had been doing that for an hour and Mai had just about had enough with Azula's impatience.

"How much longer are they going to be?" Azula asked with such annoyance and anger, Mai was actually waiting to see if any blue sparks would come out of her mouth.

Mai shrugged. "They just wanted to have some fun I guess."

"I thought they were serious about their work."

"They're serious when they fight, but when they aren't fighting… that's a different story."

Silence fell between the two women. Mai knew Azula would snap in any moment. She counted in her head on how long it would take. Before she could even get to three Azula already groaned in anger.

"Ug! That's it!" Azula yelled. "I'm getting them out of there!"

Azula charged into the bar as Mai stood there and yawned. It had been a long day with Azula constantly yelling at the brothers. Though, the one thing that still surprised Mai was just how much Azula seemed to lose her temper so easily. It wasn't like her. She was curious to figure out what is was, but not now. Not when Azula was like this. She would wait for a better time.

Azula stood in the bar looking for the brothers. The place was packed. It would be hard to find them. Then, she spotted them at the other end of the room, laughing away. She snarled and trudged forward. She couldn't get there fast enough through all the people. So many bodies where in her way and she hated that she had to touch some of them. They weren't dirty, but it was the fact they were peasants that made her skin crawl.

"Yuck!" Azula said disgusted. "These peasants are so disgusting!"

In the crowd, a young woman was arm wrestling a man. The crowd was going wild, cheering and yelling, waiting in anticipation to see who was going to win. Suddenly…

_Slam!_

The man's arm hit the table and the woman had won. The crowd was in an uproar and tossed coins to the woman; giving her the winnings. The woman smiled and gathered all the money.

"Better luck next time," Jun said to the man with a devious smirk.

The man groaned in embarrassment and laid his head on the table; hitting it a few times. The brothers had watched the whole scene and were smiling wide as they continued to laugh.

"Is that the girl you mentioned before?" Tomoya asked.

"Yep! That's her! The bounty hunter chick," Tomomi said with a smile.

The brothers laughed and carried on still as they watched Jun get a group of men into a bar fight. When Jun felt like she was finished with that, she smirked again and walked away as the men continued to fight. She aimlessly walked over to the bar counter to get a drink and ended up standing next to the brothers. The brothers looked at each other, giving looks that demanded someone to say something.

"Hey!" Tomoya said with a big, cheesy smile.

"Hey," Jun said back dully. "So, you guys new in town?"

Tomoki shrugged. "Eh, we get around."

Jun nodded with a sip of her drink. "I see… I know the feeling. You can never just stay in one place."

"You got that right!" Tomomi agreed.

Azula had finally made her way through the crowd of people and had just dodged a swinging arm from a man who was in the bar fight. When Azula realized she had almost been hit, she swung her leg beneath the man, making him fall. She stood and dusted herself off.

"He's all yours," Azula said with her nose in the air to the man's opponent. She let the two men wrestle on the floor as she stormed up to the brothers. "We're leaving. Now!"

Jun took another sip calmly; un-phased by Azula. "Hey, don't be so harsh on them. They're just having a little fun."

Azula glared at Jun. "Well, there's no time for that," she spat out and then glared at the brothers. "Come on! Move it!"

"Sheesh, who made you their boss? They're grown men. They can take care of themselves and make their own decisions."

"Stay out of this!" Azula yelled loud enough to stop the bar fight. The whole place was silent now.

"Alright, alright… no need to get snappy."

The brother's stood, pouting like little children who's fun had just been ruined. They followed Azula outside and they joined Mai. As everyone just stood, Azula paced back and forth with so much anger. No one paid any attention to her rambling.

"I can't believe I have to deal with three complete idiots!" Azula yelled. "It's bad enough I have to sleep on dirt, and practically babysit you three, and walk everywhere, and hunt down my brother and the Avatar, and I'm getting nowhere close, and-"

As Azula continued her rambling, the brothers saw Jun exit the bar and hop on her pet's, Nila, back. Jun waved goodbye to the brothers and then cracked her whip; sending Nila running and out of the village. The brother's stood there in awe and stupidity; drool coming out of Tomomi's and Tomoki's mouths.

"There she goes men," Tomomi said dazed. "Wow… she's so hot."

"Yeah…" Tomoki agreed just as dazed.

Azula had realized no one was listening to her and saw the brother's just standing there. "Ug! You three are impossible!" With that, she stormed off and headed out of the village.

Mai sighed and shook her head; still confused at Azula's actions. It had to be more than just the brothers. She turned and followed Azula out, but Tomomi and Tomoki were still staring at Jun, even though she was already gone. Tomoya turned and watched as Azula left. He didn't even take in that Mai was there. He looked at her with worry and confusion. He hadn't realized it before, but despite Azula's outbursts, he did care about the Princess. He felt so bad for her, though he didn't know everything about her. It may not have been clear to his brother's, but like Mai he could tell there was more to Azula's outrage. He found a sad smile spread along his face. He had always heard how ruthless the Fire Nation Princess was, but he could tell there was something more in her. He could see right through her. He suddenly snapped out of it. What was going on? Why did he think these things of her? Everyone hated her. Why didn't he? Was there something more to these thoughts and feelings? Why did he have these thoughts and feelings? He shrugged a little. The heart doesn't lie. He always did like girls who could take care of themselves. Might as well go with these feelings and see what happens. He looked at his brothers and grabbed their collars.

"Come on men," Tomoya said. "We've got to follow the Princess."

He dragged his brothers off with a happy smile. As he walked, he smiled wide as he thought of ways to show Azula his feelings. He wasn't sure how well that would exactly go, but he didn't care if she plummeted him into the ocean or yelled or beat him up. To him, it would be worth it. He would do anything to win her over.

* * *

Appa landed near a village where Aang had steered him. This was the village Aang knew they needed to be. It was a long travel and it had taken the whole day. Night had fallen, so they knew no one would be up.

Sokka grabbed his sleeping bag and said after he jumped off Appa. "Well, since the village is asleep, I think we should do the same." He was so happy to finally sleep again.

"Good idea Sokka," Aang said as he grabbed his bag. He airbended down and saw that Katara was already setting up her sleeping bag. He approached her and asked kindly, "Hey, Katara… would you-"

"No Aang," Katara said with a tone that warned him that she didn't want to talk to him. She didn't even turn to look at him

Aang knew he shouldn't press any further when she spoke like that, but he had to keep trying. "But, you don't even know what I was going to-"

"I said no."

Aang sighed sadly and his shoulders lowered. "Ok…"

Instead on laying out his sleeping bag, Aang airbended back on top of Appa's saddle, laid down and curled up in a ball. Appa grunted sadly. He didn't like it when his friend was sad. He let out an exhausted grunt and curled his head up in his giant, front paws all ready to go to sleep. Momo flew up to Aang and curled beside him. He gave Aang a little lick on the cheek as a kiss and then laid his head down, closing his eyes, and falling asleep as well.

Sokka, Suki, and Zuko looked at each other confused. They had no clue what was going on between them. They hadn't talked the enter way and whenever someone asked a something or made joke, Katara was silent and Aang was just sad. With a confused shrug, each one sent up their sleeping bags.

Katara mumbled to herself, not realizing Suki was near her. "Yeah, sleep. I bet we'll all have a good night sleep. Then Aang can dream about his stupid visions, with the stupid fog, and the stupid girl-"

"Girl?" Suki spoke out quietly and confused.

"Huh?" Katara looked over at her and then realized Suki had overheard her. "Oh! I didn't know anyone was listening."

"What about a girl, Katara?"

Katara sighed. "He's been dreaming about her."

"Who is she?"

"I don't' know…"

"Does Aang know?"

Katara sighed again. "No… at least he says he doesn't…" Katara slid into her sleeping bag and curled up in it; turning her back to Suki. "Look, I don't' want to talk about it right now. I just want to get some sleep. We've traveled for a long time."

Suki frowned. "Alright…" She curled up in her own sleeping bag. "Goodnight Katara…"

"Yeah… night…"

Sokka, Suki, and Zuko all fell fast asleep, except for Katara and Aang. Sometimes they would doze for a few minutes, but only ended up waking up feeling sad. From afar, yelling was heard in the village. It sounded to be between a man and a woman. Sounds of glass breaking and objects slamming gave the impression there were objects being thrown around.

"What… is… going… ON?" Sokka yelled sitting up with bloodshot eyes. He was tired of not getting enough sleep. "Don't people understand that NIGHT TIME is QUIET TIME?" He curled back up in his sleeping back and buried himself deep inside; zipping himself up in it. His words were muffled when he said, "For once I want to sleep without disturbances."

Aang sat up and said rubbing one of his eyes, "Maybe we should go check it out."

There was a sound of Sokka grumbling in protest.

"Come on Sokka," Suki said with messy hair sticking out everywhere. She was still half asleep. "Aang's right. Now get up."

Zuko woke up near her. He was half asleep like her and his hair was just as messy. Him and Suki looked at each other with blank, sleepy expressions.

"You look like a porcupine," Suki commented.

"You look like your head was gnawed on by Appa… but without the slobber," Zuko commented back.

Suki glared at him, but was too tired to do anything about it. Instead she just looked at Sokka and saw he wasn't out from his sleeping bag cocoon. "Sokka, would you get up already?"

"Fine…" Sokka said as he unzipped the bag, slowly rolling out of it, "but this better be worth helping."

Everyone stands and began walking to the sound of the noise, expect Sokka. Suki had to drag him by one of his ankles as Sokka hung out his tongue and drool poured on the ground.

"You're lucky I love you," Suki said as Sokka mumbled about not wanting to move.

They all sneak behind a bunch of bushes and peeked over them as Sokka still laid on the ground. They saw a house in front of them with the lights on and items being thrown. The back door opened and a man stumbled out of it as he tried to run while carrying bags. Items followed him out and came close to hitting him each time.

"And stay out! I never want to see you again!" a woman yelled in the door way.

Aang recognized the man and woman. They were the same people from his vision. His eyes grew wide. These were the people he had to help? This was going to be interesting… and hard.

"Don't worry about that!" the man yelled back. "I plan on never coming back! EVER!"

"GOOD!"

The woman turned her back on him and went inside. Though she didn't see the man storm away. Aang and everyone looked at each other.

"It's them…" Aang said.

"Who?" Sokka said finally sitting up and dazed from lack of sleep.

"The couple from my vision."

"So… they're the ones we have to get back together?" Zuko asked.

"Well that's just great," Sokka said negatively. "They obviously hate each other… how can we manage to do that?"

Aang opened to say something, but was cut off by the woman yelling again. "OH! And don't forget to take this piece of junk with you!" She threw a book out the door and it was headed toward Aang and his friends.

"DUNK!" Sokka yelled and everyone dunked… besides Zuko.

"What?" Zuko asked still half asleep and was hit in the head by the book; getting knocked out.

"ZUKO!" everyone yelled and surrounded him to check if he was ok, but he was out cold.

* * *

**Act 2**

* * *

Zuko's eyes began to open. His surroundings looked blurry and he couldn't tell where he was. Slowly, images began to take shape. He could tell he was in a building; a house to be exact. Who's house though? Four people were looking down at him. Their faces began to have detail and he could now tell they were his friends.

"I think he's coming to!" Suki announced.

"Yay! He's up!" Sokka cheered. "He's not dead after all!"

"Zuko?" Katara asked. "Are you ok?"

"Huh?" was all Zuko managed to say as he tried to clear his head. Everything was finally coming into focus.

"Oh no! Maybe he's having trouble hearing us!" Sokka said worried and then yelled out. "Zuuuuuukooooo… Are youuuuu ooookaaaayyyyy?"

Zuko sighed and yelled back, "I can heeeaaar youuuu juuuuust fiiiiiine Sokka," he sits up with a groan while rubbing his head. "My head just hurts, that's all. What happened anyway?"

The young Earth Kingdom woman from Aang's dream stepped into the room and handed Zuko a glass of water. She smiled kindly at him, but she looked a little embarrassed. "Hi, I'm Chun. I'm sorry for the hit on your head last night. That was my fault."

Zuko gratefully took the glass and took a large gulp. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he was until now. "Thanks… and you're the woman from earlier? The one in the fight?"

Chun sighed sadly. "Yeah, that was me. I wish that didn't happen."

"Why did it happen though?" Sokka asked.

Suki smacked him in the arm. "Shhhh, Sokka! Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it."

"No no, it's ok," Chun said; shaking her head. "See, Cong and I… we're supposed to get married tomorrow, but I found out something horrible. So, I kicked him out."

"What did you find out?" Katara asked.

"Well… I found out he was…" Chun hesitated a little. She didn't want to say it and she already felt the tears forming in her eyes. "I found out he was cheating on me."

Zuko looked away. He knew how that felt. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Chun tried to hold back the tears, but her voiced cracked when she spoke next. "It was never like this before. We've been together for such a long time and we've never had any problems. We first met at work. We're both doctors and were constantly running into each other… Sometimes literally too." She laughed a little and then sniffed as a tear finally rolled down her cheek. "Eventually, he asked me out on a date and, as we got to know each other, he asked me out again. We had so much fun and feel so deeply in love. It's just one of those things where you know you love that person and you can see a future with them so clearly. You know you'll be with them forever and that's what we thought… but now this happened… I just… I just can't believe he did this." He finally let her emotions out and cried. Katara sat down beside her and put her arms around her shoulder to comfort her.

Aang frowned and said, "I'm sorry Chun. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Chun shook her head. "Oh I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore, but thank Avatar. Knowing you, you'll find some way to help… but I don't know if you can help a broken heart."

Aang looked at Katara and then back at Chun. He understood a broken heart. He had to do something. He was confident he could. "Don't worry ma'am. We'll figure something out."

* * *

Tomoya was kneeling behind some bushes; spying on Azula. He watches as Azula tries to dust away dirt from a log so she could sit down, but she was getting frustrated. The dirt couldn't completely go away. Giving up, she just sits down and pouts. Tomoya began to stand to go talk to her; not realizing his brothers snuck up behind him.

"Hey brow, what's up?" Tomoki asked.

Tomoya jumps and flails his arms. His brothers weren't hiding well enough and he was afraid Azula would see them. He grabbed the collars of their uniform and pulled them down behind the bush with him. "Shhhhh! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" he whispered urgently, but his brother's were confused.

"Like what?" Tomomi asked.

"It's just… something…" Tomoya stated and made a shooing motion with his hands, "but I don't want to be disturbed right now."

Neither Tomomi or Tomoki moved and they looked down to see Tomoya's holding a bouquet of flowers. They smiled teasingly.

"Hey bro, who are the flowers for, huh?" Tomomi asked.

Tomoya's eyes grew wide and hide the flowers behind his back. "Uhhhhh, no one! They're for no one!"

"Well, obviously they're for someone," Tomoki said. "Who are you spying on anyway?"

Tomoki and Tomomi peeked over the bushed and saw Azula still sitting on the log. They're eyes grow wide and they dart back hind the bush.

"They're for the Princess?" they both asked in surprise.

"Yes," Tomoya answerd. "Yes they are. Now go!" Though his brothers still don't leave.

"But why?" Tomomi asked. "She's so… evil. She'll kill you if you go up to her."

"I know that!" Tomoya almost yelled a little too loud then quieted himself. "That's just the risk I'll have to take, but listen guys… I know she's done a lot of awful things, but that doesn't mean she isn't human. There's something inside that's troubling her, I can see it. There's more to her than just evil, anger, and hatred." Tomomi and Tomoki raised they're eybrows and sighed.

"Well, if you says so," Tomoki said. "Guess we'll see you later… hopefully."

"Yeah, good luck man," Tomomi added. "Please don't die and if she does try to kill you… just… play dead or something. It works on platypus bears… maybe it'll work on her too."

"Don't compare the Princess to a platypus bear," Tomoki scolded. "Do you want us to die too?"

"I wasn't comparing, I was just giving an example." Tomomi explained, but then thought about it and said, "although she is quite angry and scary like one."

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Guys!" Tomoya said, raising his voice a little to get there attention. Tomomi and Tomoki looked at him. "Shoo."

Tomoki raised his hands in defense. "Alright, alright, we're going."

"Have fuuuuun with some lovey time with the princess," Tomomi teased.

Tomoki and Tomomi chuckled and continued to tease. "Aaawwww, lovey time." They made kissy noises.

Tomoya rolled his eyes and pushed them away into a bush. His brothers laughed and walked away. Tomoya sighed; hanging his head. "They just don't understand." In a split second, he turned back around to face Azula and peeked over the bush like a secret agent on a mission. "Alright, target is still sitting on the log… Time to make my move." He stood and casually began walking toward Azula; whistling as he did so and hiding the flowers behind his back. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and tripped over a rock. He fell and landed on the flowers; crushing them in the process. He quickly stands back up to recompose himself, but realizes that only one flower survived. He took that flower in the other hand and threw the crushed ones away. He sighed because he only has one flower now, but doesn't let it get to him. He straightened himself up and continued walking. When he reached where Azula was, he stood beside her and handed her the flower; hovering it in front of her face. "Hellooooo there little lady. This is a beautiful day we're having, isn't it?"

Azula looked at the flower disgusted. "Ug, is that a flower? Get that awy before I-" She sneezes. The petals scatter in the air and float to the ground. Tomoya's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. "… Sneeze…"

"I… take it you have allergies…" Tomoya then cleared his throat and regained composure again. "That's alright Princes. It doesn't matter." He gave her a big, cheesy smile.

Azula looked at him as if he was a strange creature. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I'm here to help you because Rikiya said to-"

"I know _why_ you're here. What I'm asking is why are you here standing next to me now? Aren't you and those other two troublesome trolls supposed to be looking for a trail that'll lead us to the Avatar and my brother?"

"Uh… well… yes… but I-"

"Then you should get to that before I get mad again and want to kill you more than I do now."

"Well… that… doesn't seem pleasant."

"No it doesn't, does it?" Azula stood with her hand on her hip. "Well, you better go to it. If I see you three goofing off… things won't get pretty." She turned on her heel and walked away.

Tomoya was left standing alone. In failure, he hung his head and sighed. "Well… that didn't go as planned. At least she didn't yell this time."

"Tomoya!" Azula yelled for afar. "I still see you just standing there! GET TO WORK!"

"Ah!... Y-yes ma'am! Right away ma'am!" He ran away in a hurry before making Azula even madder at him.

Later, Azula stood by a river trying to find any evidence of a trail left by the Avatar. She remembered the one time Appa had left fur, but she didn't see anything this time. What she didn't know was Tomoya was peeking behind another bush; spying on her again. He watched as a turtle duck swam up to Azula and quacked at her; wanting some food. Azula figured someone must have came from the Fire Nation and brought some of the animals over. Azula glared at the turtle duck. It reminded her of the past. She kicked the turtled duck ; trying to get it away from her; trying to get rid of the past. The duck quacked in fear and flapped it's wings; trying to get away. Tomoya's eyes grew wide as he watched the duck quickly swim away and Azula yelling at it. He turned around, still sitting on the ground, and took out a notebook.

He spoke outloud what he was writing down. "Doesn't… like… turtle… ducks."

Again, he spied on Azula somewhere else. This time, he peeked out from behind a tree; watching Azula stand in the woods looking at the sky for signs. A bird landed on her shoulder and pecked at her hair. Azula swatted at it and chirped in alarm; flapping it's wings and flying away. Then, another bird landed on her opposite shoulder and bit her ear.

"Ow!" Azula winced. She swatted that bird away too. "Annoying birds."

Just when she thought she was done with those birds, one lands on her head. Azula was unpleased as more birds landed on her shoulders again and a few more on her head. She screamed and swatted them away; flailing her arms around in the air. Tomoya turned around again and rested his back against the tree. He began writing something down again.

"Doesn't… like… birds…"

Tomoya spyed on Azula one last time. He saw her walking through the woods this time, but suddenly stop as a baby platypus bear rolled out in front of her out of the bushes. It looked up at her and smiled. Azula just rolled her eyes; unphased by how cute it looked.

"There are too many animals in the woods," Azula sighed.

The baby pawed at her leg; wanting to play with her.

"Hey! Hey! Quite it!" Azula yelled and kicked the baby away. The baby rolled and landed on its stomach then began to cry. Rustles and thuds were heard coming from a distance in the woods. The mother playpus bear stepped out from between the trees and looked at both her baby and Azula. Once the mother realized what happened, she roared at Azula, but Azula wasn't afraid. Instead, Azula engulfed her hand in blue flames and roared back. The mother playpus bear was taken back by that and became afraid. She picked up her baby with her teeth and carried it away in a hurry deep into the woods to be far from Azula.

Tomoya was behind the bushes again and began to cross out his last two observations. Beneath them he wrote something else. "Doesn't… like… cute… animals." He sighed and placed the notebook back into a pocket in his uniform. "I'm afraid my brothers were right… she is like a platypus bear." A sound of Azula clearing her throat came from directly behind him. Tomoya was startled and looked up to see Azula looking down at him with her arms crossed. His eyes grew wide and he stood up quickly. "Princess!"

"What are you doing? Spying on me or something?" Azula asked not even trying to hide her anger.

"Um… uh…" Tomoya didn't know how to answer. He decided to lie. "… No?"

"Yeah, sure your'e not." She glared at him. "Look. If I catch you spying on me again, I won't be afraid to push you over a cliff and watch you fall to your death! Got it!"

"Y-yes ma'am."

"Good…" She turned on her heel again and walked away.

Tomoya sighed and rubbed his neck. "Well… attempt number two… complete fail…"

* * *

"This is hopeless! We're never gonna find him!" Sokka yelled annoyed and groaned.

Him, Aang, Suki, Katara, and Zuko were trying to find Cong, Chun's fiancé, in the woods near the village. They had been searching for what felt like hours and were having no luck.

"Sure we will Sokka," Aang said trying to be his usual, cheerful self. "We just have to keep our eyes open."

"For what?" Sokka yelled. "There's no trail or anything! We're just walking an aimless path."

"Well, there's someone," Suki mentioned; pointing to a man sitting by a river fishing.

Sokka stared and blinked few times. He slouches and sighs. "Of course. Something always shows up after I say something."

"Hi! Excuse me sir!" Suki called out.

The man turned around and waved a little; curious as to who they were. "Oh… hi there. Can I help you with something?"

Aang stepped forward and said, "Actually, yes. Is you name Cong?"

The man looked suspicious at him. "Why would you want to know my name?"

Aang rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, see… we kinda…. Heard what happened between you and your fiancée… and she told us what happened."

The man frowned. "Oh… Well then… Yes, I am Cong." He sighed. "If you're here to know why it happened you're better off going back to my fiancée and asking her because I don't even know what I did to upset her."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"I mean, she started to accuse me of something and wouldn't tell what I supposedly did wrong. All I remember is her coming home yelling at me about how I was a liar and how I could do something like that. I asked, 'like what?' And all I get is response is, 'you know what you did!'" He sighed again. "I don't get it. I've been trying to figure out what I did, but I just don't know! I even told her sorry, but she said, 'sorry wouldn't fix it.' I'm so confused."

Zuko looked confused at the man. Right now, he was hating him for cheating on Chun, but listening to Cong just now made him think twice. "Well, Chun said you cheated on her."

Cong's eyes grew wide with shock. "What? No! I would never do that to her! I don't even know why that would cross her mind! I love her with all my heart. There's no one else in this world who I see to be so perfect, beautiful, smart, or amazing as her. She's everything to me."

Everyone listened to Cong and nodded to each other; knowing they had the same idea.

"Myabe we could go with you so you can talk with her," Aang suggested.

Cong perked up and smiled. "Really? That's be great!" He then frowned again. "I don't know though… she's really mad at me. When I try to explain she won't even listen. Maybe… you could tell her what I told you?"

Aang smiled at him and nodded. "Sur thing. No problem."

Cong smiled back sincerely. "Thanks. I'll be here all day, so you'll know where to find me."

Now hearing Cong's part of the story, the next step to figure out was, why Chun thought Cong cheated on her. They headed back to her house, but Aang had something else in mind. He took Katara's hand and pulled her to the side without anyone else knowing. Katara looked at Aang confused for only a second, but knew why he had pulled her over and sighed.

"You want to talk about what happened, right?" she asked.

Aang nodded. "Katara… we're helping a couple get back together… I think we should fix our problems too."

"Aang, I just…" she sighed again. "I don't know right now… I just need more time to think."

"About what? Katara, the girl in my vision isn't real. At least… I don't thinks so… I mean, she's an airbender. I'm the only airbender left. How could she exist?"

"I never said she did. I just don't like that there's another girl you're having visions about."

"But, you know I can't control these visions."

"Yeah, I know, but-"

Appa roared near Chun's home. It sounded like he was in pain.

"Oh no," Aang said with wide eyes. "Appa's in trouble!" He ran to help his friend and Katara followed; just as worried as Aang.

* * *

**ACT 3**

* * *

The ground began to shake as Aang and Katara ran closer to Appa. Villagers surrounded the area trying to figure out what was going on. Aang and Katara pushed through the villagers to find Sokka, Suki and Zuko trying to calm Appa down. The flying bison was thrashing back and forth roaring loud, but what he was roaring about was still unknown. Aang flew on top of Appa's head and pulled on the reins; trying to have him lay down. Once Appa did, Aang petted his head; trying to keep him calm.

"It's ok," Aang said with a soothing voice. "Everything's going to be ok buddy." Momo flew down next to Aang and petted Appas head too; purring soothingly to help. "Can you show me what's wrong?" Aang asked Appa. Appa pulled out his right paw from underneath him. There was a branch in it; like a splinter. "Aw, buddy… Here I'll try to get it out, ok?" Aang pulled on the branch only a little and Appa roared loud in pain and pulled his paw away; making Aang let go. "It hurts him too much. I can't get it out."  
"Then how _can_ we get it out?" Suki asked.

"Cong and Chun are doctors," Katara stated. "Maybe they'll know."

"But they're not getting along now," Sokka countered. "How can we expect them to even work together?"

"Well, they're just going to have to," Aang simply said. "Appa needs help. Sokka, you get Chun and I'll go get Cong. Katara and Suki, stay here and make sure Appa doesn't move around too much. I don't want this to get even worse."

Everyone did what they needed to to and before too long Sokka returned with Chun. She was still in here house afraid of what the shaking was, but Sokka explained everything and she knew she need to help. Cong and Aang shortly followed and Cong was hanging on tightly to Aang's glider and freaking out from being so high off of the ground, but then relieved once he had his two feet on the ground again. He looked up and saw Chun glaring at him with her arms crossed. Cong looked at her sadly and stepped toward her.

"Chun… they told me why you were so angry at me last night," Cong said. "How could you think I would cheat on you? I would never do that."

"I saw you," Chun said looking away.  
"How? When?"

"Yesterday afternoon I was walking to the store and I saw you and this girl at a restaurant together."

Cong looked confused and he tried his best to think what she was talking about. "Yesterday afternoon…" He then remembered and his wide grew wide. "Ah! Wait! No, that wasn't just a random girl! That was my sister!"

Chun finally looked at him and blinked a few times; trying to register what he just said. "You're what?"  
"My sister!" He began to laugh. "She came for the wedding. I know you two haven't met because of how far she lives and I knew both of you would get along great and I knew you've been wanting to meet her so I wanted to surprise you."

"You're… you're sister?... Oh Cong… I'm so sorry." She gave Cong a hug. "I dodn't know, I'm sorry."

"I know, it's ok," Cong said hugging her back close and tight, "but if there's ever something like this that happens again… let's actually talk instead of throwing things and yelling, ok?" He laughed a little again and smiled at her.  
Chun laughed with a smile too. "I… was a little mean, wasn't I?"

Cong brushed a piece of hair behing Chun's ear lovingly. "No… just upset for a reason that-"

Sokka cleared his throught and Chun and Cong looked in his direction. "This is all great and lovey and everything. I'm happy you two worked this out… but… bison?... branch?... pain?... help?"

"Oh right. Sorry about that," Cong said.

Together, Cong and Chun kept Appa calm as Chun spread an ointment around the wound to numb it so they could pull the branch out. After the ointment was was spread on, Chun poked the wound to see if Appa would react, but Appa didn't. Cong gently pulled out the branch and Chun immediately began fixing the wound. Once that was done, Appa licked both of the them as a thank you and then licked at his paw.

"Thank you," Aang said with a smiled.

Chun shrugged. "We're doctors. It's our job. No need to thank us."

Everyone hugged Appa with a smile and Appa made a happy grunt. Momo purred and rubbed up against Appa; happy that his friend was ok.

* * *

Azula was leaning her back against a tree with her arms crossed. She was trying to not fall asleep, but it wasn't working. Her eyes kept closing and opening. Her hair was a little messy and small, dark circles where under her eyes. The sun was setting and she hadn't rested at all the entire day because she was two busy trying to find the Avatar and her brother. A noise from the bushes were heard from the right of her. Her eyes snapped open and she looked in that direction. Tomoya was standing there. Azula rolled her eyes and looked away.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," Azula said tiredly, but was able to still force authority in her voice.

"I know," Tomoya said sadly. "I just wanted to tell you-"

"No. You don't have to tell me anything. Just leave."

"But-"

"No!" Azula yelled. She stood up straight facing him, still looking tired, but she had enough strength to stand her groud. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say! What I do want is to capture the Avatar and my brother. That's it! We won't get anywhere by talking!"

Tomoya didn't flinch and yelled back, "But if you would stop yelling and actually hear what I have to say maybe it won't be so bad!" Azula was taken back. No one had yelled at her like this before. "All I want is to tell you something about how I feel and what I see! It's something that won't take long! We can waste a few minutes. It won't matter. The Avatar is nowhere in sight. We lost him a long time ago. Talking is actually a great way to communicate to each other anyway! If we don't communicate… honestly… that'll make the search longer."

Azula pressed her lips together in frustration, forming a thin line, but she sighs and looks away again; crossing her arms. "Fine. I guess I'll give you one last chance for mercy."

Tomoya sighed with relief and softened. "I'm sorry I yelled… I just… I just want you to know what _I_ see in you." Azula raised her eyebrows. "I can tell there's something more about you, deep down, something you don't want anyone else to know." Azula glared at him, but that didn't stop Tomoya. "I see that you're hurting and confused about something. You try and put on a tough act, but it's just to cover up what you're really going through. I want to understand more Azula so… so I can help you."

Azula stood there shocked. She was trying to understand everything he was saying. She just shook her head and scoffed at him. "Help? I don't need anyone's help. There's nothing wrong. All I want is to find the Avatar and my idiot brother. So stop worrying what you _think_ I'm feeling and worry more about our mission. Besides, I'm strong enough to take care of myself. I could do this all on my own if Rikiya didn't assign you to help me.

Tomoya sighed. "Azula… please… This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're just covering something up. Please tell me what it is. I beg of you, let me help."

"Hmph… forget it." Azula turned, her back facing to Tomoya, and began walking away.

"I can't," Tomoya called out. "I won't… and I won't stop trying either! Because… I care about you Azula."

Azula stopped suddenly and sharply turned around, but only to find Tomoya had already left. She gave his words some thought and almost looked like she would believe him, but she shook her head and started walking again. "How could anyone care or want to help me."

* * *

The sun was shining bright on the day of Cong and Chun's wedding. It took place outside and all the flowers were in bloom. Birds were chirping and people sat outside to watch the ceremony; including Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki. The crowd cheered as Cong and Chun were pronounced husband and wife and kissed.

"I'm so happy for them," Suki said with a smile. "They were finally able to work things out and now they'll spend the rest of their lives together. "

Sokka wrapped an arm around Suki's waist and pulled her close to him; smiling at her. She blushed and smiled back. Sokka smiled more at her blush and kissed her cheek. Aang saw the interaction between then and smile. He then looked at Chun and Cong, seeing how happy they were, along with a few other couples. He couldn't help but look at Katara, who was smiling at Cong and Chun, and new this was the right time to talk. He walked over to her with a pleading look.

"Hey, Katara?" he asked. "Can we talk now? Please?"

Katara didn't answer right away, but she nodded. "Ok… but, can we do it somewhere private?"

Aang nodded. "Sure."

They walked somewhere private; far from the wedding. Suki, Sokka, and Zuko saw them leave and gave each other a look of worry. They weren't sure how things would go, but they hoped it would end well. There was a nice, quiet place in the woods where Aang and Katara found. They didn't look at each other, but Aang took a deep breath and let out everything he had to say.

"Katara… Im really sorry," he started. "I never meant for these visions to happen. They just kinda… did. I don't know who this girl is and-"

"I'm not upset about that anymore," Katara inturrupeted.

Aang was taken back. "What?"

"I said, 'I'm not upset about that anymore.'"

"Oh… well… ok… So, we're ok now? We can go back to how things used to be?" Katara shook her head. "Oh… why not?"

"After what happened, I did realize I was foolish for thinking such a thing. Though, while we weren't talking, it made me think about something else. I thought about us a lot. It was mostly about our long distance from each other."

"But I sent letters to try and fill the distance."

"I know, but… there weren't that many letters and this was going on for three years… It… it just felt like we were growing apart… Things feel like they've changed… or maybe it's just me… Maybe I've changed…"

Aang shook his head. "Katara, I don't think-" He stopped himself and sighed. "Maybe they have… Id ont it's just you… it's me too… I guess we're just growing up more…" Silence filled the air, but Aang still tried to think of a way to make things better. "What about that kiss? The one back at the North Pole. Did that mean anything to you?"

Katara hesitated. "I… I don't know. It… wasn't like it used to be."

Aang hung his head a little and nodded. "Yeah… me too… What about a chance? Would there be any chance that we can still work things out and be together?"

"I don't know that either… I'm… I'm sorry Aang… I really am…"

Aang swallowed as he tried to keep control of his emotions. "I'm sorry too… I guess… We should head back now…"

Katara nodded in agreement. "I guess so…" She gave Aang a sad, but kind smile. "Still friends?"

Aang smiled back the same. "Yeah, still friends." He swallowed again.

"Wanna walk back together?"

Aang shook his head. "It's ok… you go ahead… I'll catch up later…"

"Alright… you… sure you're ok?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine."

Katara nodded, but knew Aang wasn't fine. She wasn't sure what else to do other than giving Aang time alone. She walked back to the wedding and Aang watched rooted to the spot where he stood. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he tried to wipe them away, but it wasn't working. Once Katara was out of sight, he sat on the ground allowing the tears to just fall.

"I'm sorry Katara," he said; his voice cracking as he continued to look in the direction Katara left. "I hope one day we'll get back together… Maybe someday… we'll have what Chun and Cong have… or even Sokka and Suki… Just please… Don't give up on us…"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****: Kataang fans… please don't kill me O.O… lol I haven't even figured out if they'll get back together… I'm just going with whatever comes up in the story as it goes on. **


	8. Acceptance

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** Wow it's been… kind of a long time since I posted lol Sorry! A lot has been going on, but at least it hasn't been like… a year since I posted lol Only a couple of months. In this chapter, I'm happy to say…A CHARACTER WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE IS BACK! WOOT! There is another vision sequence and, like before, it's in italics. I hope I succeeded in having the character you'll see actually being in character lol Enjoy! :D**

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter 7: Acceptance**

* * *

**ACT 1**

* * *

The day was warm and sunny with a nice, cool breeze after the day of Cong and Chun's wedding. The weather was comfortable and the birds chirped as they enjoyed it. Everything had a soft glow to make the scenery more beautiful than ever before. It was the perfect day to just relax.

Suki was knelt by a river pouring water into pouches they had collected for their journey so they had something to drink. She felt a presence behind her, but wasn't threatened by it. Sokka was never that light on his feet, but she liked to give him the thought that he could sneak up on her. She smiled as she felt him creep closer; a mischevious look on his face. Then, as fast as he could, he knelt down behind her and scooped her up in his arms by her waist. Suki gasped to make Sokka think she was startled. Then giggled and leaned into him.  
"Hey beautiful," Soka said with a smirk and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," she said back with another giggle. "What are you up to today?"

"Oh nothing much. Just holding the most beautiful girl in the world."

That made Suki blush. "You always know when to say the right things."

"I try," he chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"Gathering water for the trip. Though, I do have a request for you." She smirked deviously.

"Uh oh," his eyes grew wide. "This means trouble for me, doesn't it?"

She laughed. "It's not that bad." She picked up an apple that was beside her. She had picked it a while ago and cleaned it. It looked so ripe and juicy. "Now, I know you love your meats, and I won't keep you from that, but… maybe you could add a little fruit in your diet too."

Silence filled the air.

"… You want me to do what?" Sokka said as he blinked.

"Oh come on, like I said, I'm not telling you to stop eating meat completely."

Sokka glared at the apple and came up with the best excuse he could muster. "But… I am uncapable of eating fruit."

Suki raised an eyebrow. Did he really expect her to believe that? "Uh huh… sure. Just try it." She pressed the apple closer to her face.

Sokka jumped back and held up his arms to block it. "Ah! No!"

She continued to taunt him with the crispy fruit. "Oh come on! It's not that bad."

He shook his head rapidly. "Nuh uh."

Suki sighed then snapped into pouting mode. It was something she knew Sokka couldn't resist. "Please? For me, Sokka?"

"Oh no… the pout." Sokka's eyes grew wide like this was his worst nightmare, but at the same time, he knew he loved it when she did that. "My ultimate weakness," he whined. "It's… slowly… making me… cave…. in….. AH! FINE!" He laid on the ground defeated. "Alright… I'll eat the stupid apple."

Suki smiled wide in victory and handed him the apple. "Great! Here you go!"

Sokka sat up and glared at the apple again like it was the most vile thing he had ever set eyes upon. His hand slowly reached for it, hoping Suki would change her mind, but realized that wasn't happening. He sighed and grabbed the apple by its stem with his hid index finger and thumb. He held it in front of him gingerly like it had a disease. "Yeah… great…" he said reluctantly agreeing with her. He looked up at Suki who was just staring at him; waiting. "….You're going to watch me, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Uh huh. I'm making sure this apple gets in your system."

Sokka groaned and then sighed. "Ok… well… here goes nothing, I guess." His mouth twitched as he fought with it to open. Even his mouth didn't agree with this. He finally managed to open in and brought the apple to his mouth. He was just about to take a bite when…

Momo jumped on his head; looking down at the apple like he wanted a bite of it too.

"Not now, Momo," Sokka informed. "I'm doing something that's… _important_… to my health…. Now shoo."  
Momo purred to show he understood and watched as Sokka went to take another bit, but then Momo quickly reached out and snatched the apple out of Sokka's hands; leaving Sokka's mouth agape. Momo jumped off Sokka head and Sokka blinked a few times trying to register what just happened.

"MOMO!" Sokka yelled. "Give it back!"

As Sokka chased Momo around trees and bushes, Suki busted out laughing at the scene. Aang walked up to her and watched Sokka and Momo running around. His eyebrow raised when he saw Sokka trying to climb a tree as Momo sat on a branch, but Momo threw a twig at Sokka's head and caused Sokka to lose concentrated; making him fall back to the ground.

Aang laughed and turned to Suki asking, "What's going on?"

"Oh the usual," Suki replied still laughing. "Momo took food from Sokka."

Aang shook his head and laughed again. "I don't think that'll ever end… but hey, I have a question for you. Have you seen Zuko around? I've seen everyone else today, but not him. I can't even sense his vibrations."

"GET BACK HERE!" was heard from Sokka as he jumped up and down trying to grab Momo as Momo flew around in circles above him. Aang and Suki paid no attention.

"I saw him this morning heading somewhere," Suki answered. "I asked where he was going and he just said, 'a place to think.' He could be anywhere, but I guess he's pretty far if you can't sense him. Maybe try that rocky cliff we flew over."

"STOP TAUNTING ME!" was another yell heard from Sokka. Him and Momo were on the ground. Momo would sit the apple on the ground and then once Sokka would reach for it, Momo would snatch it away again.

"Thanks, I'll check that," Aang told Suki. He then turned to Sokka and smiled, "Good luck, Sokka!" He chuckled and walked off to find Zuko.

"Ah HA!" Sokka said as he grabbed Momo before Momo could run away. He took the apple from Momo's grasp and Momo flew off. "I win this round!" He then began eating the apple in victory.

Suki stood there with a hand on her hip and a smug smile as she watched Sokka. "And I thought you really didn't want to eat the apple."

Sokka chewed vigorously at the apple; it being half gone already. "I don't. I'm just pretending I'm eating meat… that… just happens to be crunchy, sweet, and juicy."

Suki look disgusted at the thought. "That… doesn't sound very appetizing."

Sokka held what was left of the apple in front of her face and said, "and yet you force me to eat this abominaton to food!"

Suki smiled wide and nodded only leaving Sokka to hang his head, shake it, and sigh.

* * *

Aang was walking along a path that he knew led to the cliff. As he approached, he began feeling familiar vibrations. She smiled knowing it was Zuko and when he reached the cliff he found he was correct. Sitting on a rock, staring out into the wide open land the cliff towered over, was the Fire Lord. Aang continued his walk over to his friend and sat beside him; staring out into the land with him. Zuko didn't acknowledge that Aang was even there, but he knew he was.

"So, uh… nice view," Aang said to break the silence.

"Yeah…" was all Zuko's reply was.

Aang sighed and tried to think of another way to start the conversation. "So… why are you just sitting here?"

"Open space helps me think," he replied a bit monotone.

"What are you thinking about?"

There was silence. Zuko didn't want to answer, but knew it was probably obvious. "… Mai…"

Aang nodded. Yeah, he knew. He hung his head and sighed. "Yeah… I… I can understand that…"

Zuko finally looked at Aang and saw the young Avatar's frown. "So it's true then…"

Aang was confused. "Hm? What's true?"

"About you and Katara… It's actually over…"

Aang looked away and grimaced. Hearing that hurt. "How… how did you know?"

"Yesterday, after you and her went into the woods to talk after the wedding, she came back without you. We all figured that wasn't a good sign."

"Yeah… it… .wasn't a good conversation either." He sighed sadly and looked back out into the land. "We're not having much luck in the relationship department, are we?"

Zuko looked out in the open land with him. "I guess not."

Silence once again took hold of the air. The breeze whistled softly through the trees trying to break the sad silence. The young man and boy rolled over so many questions in their heads. None ever seemed to have an answer.

"I just don't get it," Aang finally spoke out. "Where did it go wrong? I never saw it coming."

"Believe me. I'm asking myself the same thing. On top of all that, I can't believe Mai actually rejoined Azula… I... I just don't know how to deal with her being gone. I can't accept this."

Aang looked at Zuko somberly. "I know it's hard, I really do, but… we have to. You need to accept the fact Mai is gone and… I need to accept that fact that Katara… is gone… and-"

"But at least Katara didn't change sides and cheat on you," Zuko snapped with interruption. He didn't mean to snap, but with all the anger and confusion, it just came out that way.

"… Y-yeah… I guess so." Aang was uncertain about that snap. Was Zuko going to go into a rage he sometimes went into? He hadn't seen that in a long time. It was kind of scary for it to suddenly come back.

Zuko knew he scared Aang a bit, but he couldn't stop the words from coming out. "I feel like I've been stabbed in the back. I thought when I came home, everything would be normal. I would greet Mai, we'd both be happy, and… and I was… going to propose to her."

Aang nodded sadly. "I thought so… I saw the ring you gave Izao after we helped him."

Zuko nodded too. He knew his friends saw that. "But instead I got dumped and betrayed… Why? And what hurts the most is… I still love her after what she's done… or maybe… I don't… I don't know…"

"Again, I understand, Zuko… I guess… we both need to figure out what to do about our feelings. Maybe in time we'll heal…"

"Maybe." Zuko looked at Aang, now calmer, and smiled a little. "So, to get away from this topic for a while, what are the plans for today?" Aang didn't answer him. Instead, he found the Avatar staring straight ahead and not blinking. "Aang?... Are you ok?" There still wasn't an answer. Zuko was about to reach out to shake him from… whatever he was in… to get his attention, but before he could do anything, Aang fainted. "Aang!"

_As Zuko tried to wake Aang, Aang found himself slipping away into a familiar place he had grown so used to. The fog swirled around him and it seemed less dense than he remembered. He saw more of the stone path that looked so familiar to him. He still didn't understand why. Suddenly, an image appeared in the fog. Usually, the airbender girl would appear and show him a vision. Why was this different? Maybe it was something that was more urgent thant the others. _

_ He watched the image before him go from blurry to clear and his eyes grew wide at what he saw. A small Fire Nation army was attacking a village; a village he knew all too well. People screamed for help and buildings were on fire. They image then shifted to something else. It was of a sign with a flying boar on it that was above a gate to a house. He knew the sign. He knew the house. With in a matter of seconds, the sign was ignited in fire and burning to ash. _

_ "You know what to do," the voice of the airbender girl said breaking through the screams from the image. "Now go! Hurry! The attack will come soon!"_

Aang sat up with a jolt as he gasped and breathed heavily. He swallowed nervously and realized he was back in the real world. He was too shocked to realize Zuko was trying to get his attention.

"Aang!" Zuko yelled as he tried to get Aang to answer him. "What happened? What's wro-"

"We have to go!" Aang shouted. "NOW!"

Zuko's eyes were wide. Aang only ever shouted like that when there was a big problem. Aang jumped up quickly and ran back to everyone. He had to get to Appa quick.

"Whoa! Wait up!" Zuko shouted as he ran after him trying to keep up.

The next thing everyone knew, Aang had them soaring in the air on Appa. They were confused and Momo hung on to Sokka's face as Appa flew at a high speed.

"Where are we going now?!" Sokka yelled as he tired to pull Momo off his face causing it to stretch because Momo wouldn't let go.

"Somewhere we all know," Aang replied focused on his destination, "but I don't have time to explain. We need to get there quick."

Moments later, they landed by the village Aang had in his vision. A place him, Katara, and Sokka had been before. Aang expected the village to be in chaos, but found the opposite. People walked around calmly as they lived their everyday lives. Nothing frightful or threatening about it. Aang jumped off Appa and looked around. He breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was fine. At least for now..

Aang turned to Appa and petted his head. "Stay here buddy. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hurt from what?" Sokka said as he finally pulled Momo off his face. Momo was stiff with fright in his hands.

"I'll tell you in a moment," Aang replied as he ran off into the village. "First, I gotta make sure things really _are_ ok."

"Ok from what?!" Sokka yelled in frustration and threw his hands in the air for emphasis; causing Momo to fly out of his hands. Momo screamed in the air, sounding like "squeeee!", and then found himself able to move as he flew down and landed on Sokka's head. Sokka just stood there with an annoyed face and did nothing.

"Zuko, did something happen while you two were talking?" Suki asked.

"Things were ok at first," Zuko explained, "but then he fainted. I tried to wake him, but he never responded until he sat up and said we needed to leave in a hurry. My guess is he had another vision."

"Oh great," Sokka whined. "We're on another wild vision trip. This is only going to keep stalling us from finding mystery villain man."

Everyone just stared at him.

"Mystery villain man?" Suki asked.

"Yeah… you know… the guy we're trying to stop."

"We know," Katara chimed in, "but… that's not really one of your best nicknames."

"It's been a while ok?!" Sokka defended. "You try making up names all the time."

Zuko sighed in annoyance. "Guys, we should follow Aang before he gets too far. Come on." He ran off and Katara and Suki followed right behind him.

"Fine, fine," Sokka said just slowly walking after them. "Everyone just insult and run off like nothing ever happened." He took Momo of his head and looked at him with a pout. "You're the only one who understands me, don't you?" Momo purred and Sokka smiled. "Good boy. I'll give you a peach for that… It'll replace the disgusting apple I took from you." He then whispered, "but between you and me… I would've gladly let you have it." Momo purred happily and licked Sokka's cheek; then flew to Appa to keep him company.

"Sokka! Come on!" Katara yelled.

Sokka sighed. "This trip is so stupid." He then hurried off after them.

Eventually, everyone was able to catch up with Aang. The village was indeed calm. There was absolutely no wreckage or people in panic. No sign of any previous or present fight. Aang was happy, but now he knew where he needed to go. He quickened his pace and everyone followed his step.

"So, why are we here Aang?" Sokka asked again. He was determined to get an answer. "Everything's seems to be fine here."

"I saw the village under attack in my vision."

"Well, either it hasn't happened yet, or your vision was wrong," Zuko told him.

"I don't know… My visions haven't been wrong yet. Why would they be wrong now?"

"Well, there's always a first for everything," Sokka said; still annoyed about this.

As they looked around Katara said, "This place looks familiar."

Aang hesitated to speak. Things felt a bit awkward now between them. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um… yeah… well, you see… we've actually been here before."

Suki was confused. "We have? I don't remember this place. It doesn't even look familiar."

"Same here," Zuko added.

"That's because you guys weren't with us," Aang explained. "You were on a trip with the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki. And Zuko… well… you were still our enemy at the time."

"Come on, Aang!" Sokka was being impatient. "Just ell us where we're at!"

Aang reached the destination he was going to. They stopped and looked up at the embelm above the green graye that towered over them. The emblem was of a flying boar and, thankfully, it was still intact and not burned to ash. Katara and Sokka smiled as they remembered.

"The flying boar," Katara said with understanding. "No wonder this place looks familiar."

Zuko and Suki still stood there confused. They looked at each other and shrugged as if asking the other if they understood.

_BOOM!_

A rumble was heard from behind the home the gate protected. A large cloud of dust swirled in the air. Aang immediately jumped into action. He blew open the gate with his airbending.

"That might be the attack!" Aang yelled. "Let's go!"

They ran passed the gate and toward the back yard with hope they would get there in time.

* * *

**ACT 2**

* * *

They reached the back of the house to find, a now fifteen year old, Toph fighting…

A group of earthbending students.

Toph fought with all her earth and metalbending as her parents sat outside fearing she would get hurt. One by one, each student fell either getting tripped, hit in a body part, or sunken into the ground. Toph stood victorious and her parents sighed with relief.

"Come on you knuckle heads!" Toph screamed at them. "You're not trying hard enough! Not one of you came close to knocking me down!"

"Actually," her father began to add his opinion, "I like that part."

Toph inwardly rolled her eyes. "Dad, if they can't stand their ground against me, then they can't stand their ground against anyone." She blew her bangs out of her face and crossed her arms as she faced her students again. Each student looked in horror at what her plan was. She smirked; feeling their heartbeats quicken and she knew it wasn't from the training. "Alright guys," the students gasped and grimaced, "that's if for today." They stared stunned at her.

"But… isn't this the time we take a break?" a student asked. "It's not really over until dinner time."

Toph stretched her arms abover her head and tilted from side to side to stretch out her muscles after a long days training. "Today's a little different. I have some friends over and I haven't seen them in a long time. Use your time off wisely though. 'Cause if you don't…" she pointed a finger at them in warning and they were scared again. "I'll make sure to go even harder on you next practice."

"Y-yes ma'am!" her students answered together.

Each student left in a hurry to enjoy their break. Some students had to pull out other students from the ground. They enjoyed having Toph as their teacher and knew they were learning from the best. But man did she scare them.

"Hey Toph!" Aang called out with a smile as everyone approached their friend.

"Hey guys!" Toph said happily with a wide smile. "It's been such a long time!"

Everyone joined a group hug except for Zuko.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Come on Zuko, get in the hug. You should be used to this by now."

"It's ok," Toph said as everyone pulled away from the hug. "I can sense Sparky's going through a little something."

"Sorry," Zuko apologized. "I guess I'm not as excited as I should be."

Toph chuckled. "Hey, it's ok. You'll get over whatever it is you're going through." She punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Zuko protested as he rubbed his arm. "Must you always hit me."

"What? I had to say hello to you somehow since I didn't get a hug." Zuko sighed as Toph turned to everyone saying, "So, I want to say you're all here to see me, but I sense there's more to it. What's up?"

"Well…" Aang started, but then he realized Toph's parents were still close by. "Um… do you think we could talk in private?" Her parents were listening in and looked uncomfortable.

Toph nodded. She understood. "Sure, no problem. Come on inside. It's lunch time anyway. We can eat while you explain."

"At last!" Sokka cheered. "Real food! Let's go!" He was the first one through the door.

As they ate at the dining table without Toph's parents, who weren't too happy about that, Toph was caught up by Aang on every single event that had happened recently. Sokka stuffed his face greedily as everyone else used table manners. Though, Toph wasn't a lady, she at least wasn't just shoving food in her mouth. It was something she did for her parents to make them happy as she still lived in the house. Suki watched Sokka with a raised eyebrow as he ate a bowl of rice within second. Sokka noticed her and smiled wide with food smeared around his lips. Suki frowned, but then couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Whoa, wait a sec," Toph said as she tried to gather the information Aang just told her. "So, let me get this straight. Some mysterious psycho broke out Ozai and Azula, took control of the Fire Nation army, ran you and Zuko out of the Fire Nation, the Southern Water Tribe and possibly even the Northern Water Tribe are taken over, and on top of all that… you're having these strange visions of an airbender girl and she's telling you where you need to go next to help people."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Toph shook her head. "Man, you guys get in a lot of trouble when I'm not around." She chuckled.

"But the recent vision I saw had to do with your home, Toph," Aang explained. "I think the Fire Nation is going to attack soon. Have you had any signs of that?"

"No, I haven't. I mean, I haven't even known about what all you just told me. Who is the mysterious psycho anyway?"

"OH MY GOD!" Soka shouted out loud; spewing food everywhere in front of him from his mouth.

Everyone jumped and looked at him concerned as Suki asked, "What is it?"

"Mysterious… Psycho Man," Sokka said with awe. "Toph… you're a genious! That name is so much better than mysterious villain man."

Silence filled the air again. It was the third time that day. They must have set a record.

"Ok, I'll take that as a no you don't know the name of the guy," Toph said not joing in on Sokka's enthusiasm. Sokka frowned at everyone not taking him seriously, but then found a delious pie and began eating again. "What are you guys planning on doing?"

"We're trying to hunt the man down, but these visions keep stalling us," Aang said frustrated. "I never know when they'll happen or where it will lead us. Though, right now, I think we need to prepare the village as soon as possible. I'm not sure when the attack will happen."

Toph turned to a guard that was standing near her; knowing that her parents had sent him to watch over her. "You got all that, guard man?"

"Yes ma'am," the guard answered.

"Good. Mind delivering that to the village for me? I need to catch up with my friends and discuss some things."

The guard bowed. "As you wish ma'am."

The guard left and Toph acknowledged her friends again. "Alright, now that we got that guy out of the way, let's continue on."

"Who are those kids you were teaching?" Katara asked; finally speaking.

"They're my students."

Sokka's eyes grew wide. "You're a teacher?!"

Toph laughed proudly. "Yep! And seeing as I'm the only metalbender around, most people come to me. I've even training a few adults. They're a lot easier seeing as they already know how to earthbend."

"That's amazing!" Aang said astounded.

"Thanks, but my parents still don't see it that way. They still see me as weak and fragile."

"Even though you helped teach Aang and fought against the Fire Nation?" Suki asked.

"Yep. They don't want to believe I can do all that. Although, I was able to convince them that I _can_ handle things on my own… by making a deal. Either they let me have a normal life without being locked up and in return I'll be a 'lady' when necessary even though I hate it… or if they don't then I'll leave again and possibly live with a friend, but I'll write to them to let them know I'm ok."

"What about at least visiting?" Katara asked.

"I was thinking of telling them I wouldn't visit, but they already started discussing their decision and I didn't get another word in. I guess you can figure out what they chose."

"Saying you wouldn't visit would be a little harsh," Katara added, "but I can see why you would do it."

Toph shrugged. "All that was the only thing I could think of to get their attention. They have to accept the fact that just because I can't 'see' like they do doesn't mean that I can't do the same things like everyone else. I think they're just… slowly understanding that. But enough about me. What about your lives… besides everything you just told me?" Zuko, Aang and Katara looked down not wanting to answer. Toph sensed the tension. "Uh oh… I can tell I hit a nerve. What's going on?"

Aang and Zuko both spoke at the same time saying, "I don't want to talk about it." They looked at each other and then away awkwardly.

"Sorry," Zuko apologized again. "I just…" He sighed. He didn't know what to say. "Excuse me." He stood up and left the table. Everyone watched him exit into another room. He knew they were watching them. It was like their eyes burned his back leaving him another scar.

"I think… I should go too," Aang said sadly. "Excuse me." He stood and left too; entering the same room Zuko did. Katara watched him leave sad and worried about him.

Toph was stunned at this reaction. "Whoa… I could sense it was tense, but I didn't expect that to happen. What's going on Katara? Did something happen between you and Aang?"

Katara played with her hair as she hesitated to answer. "There's… been some issues."

"I can tell, but what are they? It's not like you guys broke up or anything." She laughed. "Oh man. Even the idea of it. I don't think that would ever happen." She felt Katara's heart beat quicken and Toph gasped. "… Or… I could be wrong… Did… you two really-?"

"Yeah. We did. I did. It was hard to do… but… things just don't feel the same."

"I'm sorry about that. I'm sure things will get back to normal eventually."

"Thanks… I hope so…"

"You guys just need time to think." Then then acknowledged Sokka and Suki. "But I sense things are still going great between you two."

Suki smiled wide. "It's going great!" She then glared at Sokka. "Though I'm trying to change his diet."

Sokka groaned. He thought,or more like hoped, she forgot about doing that. "Ok… I'll make a deal… I'll eat at least one fruit… per week."

"Per week?!" Suki said surprised.

"Oh come, I can't help it," he said taking Suki's surprise as her being mad. "Meat is just so good!"

"I know you love your meat and I'm not mad about the per week thing… I'm just surprised you offered that."

Sokka didn't answer right away and then finally said, "I change my offer."

"Oh no. You said per week. We're sticking to that."

"Aw come on, Suki! Take one step at a time!"

As they bickered Toph chuckled and shook her head again. "Good luck with this one Suki." She sensed Zuko and Aang's emotion. She knew she had to help them. "I'll be right back guys. I need to talk to Sparky and Air head." She left the table and Sokka and Suki were too busy bickering to even notice she left. Katara slumped into her chair. She felt horrible. When Toph opened the door and stepped into the room Zuko and Aang were in, she closed the door behind her and said, "Wow. That party really died fast. Mind telling me what's on your minds?" Zuko looked away not wanting to speak.

Aang took a moment to speak, but eventually said, "Katara and I broke up."

"So I've recently heard."

"Things just… aren't the same… but I don't know how to fix that."

"Yeah, I bet it's hard… but there's a bond between you and Katara. I feel it. I don't know if that means you'll end up back together or not… but just know that you'll always have that bond no matter what."

Aang smiled a little. He knew Toph was trying her best to make him feel better. "Thanks, Toph."

Toph then faced Zuko and said, "So, what about you? You gonna finally tell me what's wrong?"

Zuko still didn't look at her and stared out a window. "Mai cheated on me… dumped me… and you know what happened in the Fire Nation. She's even back with Azula know."

Toph frowned. That she didn't expect either. "I'm sorry, Spikey. That's… that's a lot to deal with… but look… I know you love Mia… but she's not the only girl out there. It didn't work out with her, so maybe you're meant to be with someone else."

He just shrugged. "Maybe… I don't know…"

"But instead of you two just sitting around feeling sorry for yourself and sad over what happened… you should be focusing on the main issue. Finding the psycho and bringing him down! We've been brought together to save the world again. So you guys better get a hold of yourself… or I'll have to pound some sense into you. So come on! Let's go take down that psycho!" She pumped a fist in the air, trying to get them excited about this, and stepped back into the dining room. She then announced, "I'm going with you guys! I want to help."

"NO!" Her parents protested coming out of nowhere.

Toph crossed her arms. "Mom. Dad. I'll be fine. I promise. You don't need to worry-"

Screaming was heard outside after that statement. Everone in the house was alarmed and Toph felt the ground.

"They're here," Toph informed.

Aang and Zuko came out of the room in a flash and everyone stood ready for action. Toph's parents were frightened and then heard a cracking sound. They looked down horrified at their daughter. She had just cracked her knuckles. It was so un-lady like.

Toph smirked and said, "Just like old times… Let's go take down enemies again!" She was out the door before any of them and her parents watched in fear of losing their daughter. Besides them, everyone else was right behind Toph, ready for a fight.

* * *

**ACT 3**

* * *

The moment they made it to the gate and out into the village, the army was already burning places to the ground as people ran and screamed in fright; just like in Aang's vision. Inwardly, Aang thanked the airbender girl that always appeared to him. If it wasn't for her, his friend and the village would probably be lost. Toph was a strong bender, but may not of been able to stop what was happening just now.

"Let's go guys," Toph said prepared to do this fight. "I'm not gonna allow these people to ruin my home like this."

With one swoop of a hand motion Toph bended a large rock at a soldier who was riding a komodo rhino. With a "OMPH!" the soldier fell to the ground after the rock his stomach. The rhino roared and almost trampeled over the smirked and was about to attack again, but then another soldier called out, "Burn it all! Burn it all to the ground! Just like Rikiya ordered!"

Toph turned to her friends. "Rikiya? Didn't you say that was the crazy psycho?" Her friends nodded. Toph glared and cracked her knuckles. "That just makes this even better. I won't let this Rikiya guy mess around here!"  
The next thing the soldier knew… he was hit in the head with a rock and knocked unconscious. Once the soldiers knew who was doing the attacking, they charged at the young earthbender, but Toph wouldn't have any of this. Her friends were about to jump in, but Toph just shook her head. Her hands trembled as she created a large slab of rock big enough to take out six people at once. With incredible force, the slab slammed into the soliders so fast that they couldn't even turn around in time.

"Watch over my parents," Toph ordered her friends. "They're freaking out."

Her friends turned around and saw her parents actually made it outside. Her parent's eyes were glued to their daughter. They wanted to save her, but at the same time didn't want to get into the fight.

"Are you sure?" Katara asked. "This army is… huge…"

"I've got this, Katara. Believe me… I've got this."

Her friends stepped back and pulled Toph's parents further back behind the gate just in case so they wouldn't get hit. Firebenders pounced from out of nowhere all around Toph and firebended at her. Toph was ready for this. As their fire grew closer and closer, each passing second, Toph was forming a rock shield that encased her body in those passing seconds. Fire hit rock and Toph could feel the warmth, but it wasn't enough to pass through and hurt her. When the fire ended, Toph sent those rocks flying off of her body; striking the soldiers around her. She found more soldiers and went straight for them.

_Wham!_

_Wham!_

_Wham!_

Soldier after soldier was struck down and her parents cringed at each strike. No soldier stood a chance. Aang and the others just stared wide eyed as Toph went on a frenzie to save her home. No one took their eyes off her.

"Aang?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah?" Aang answered.

"I'm glad Toph is back in the group and all and if we didn't come here then she may not have been but… was it really necessary to have that vision to send us here to save her?"

"I was just asking myself the same question."

_Whoosh!_

_Whoosh!_

_Whoosh!_

Toph had found a metal chain to bend. She wrapped it around the soldiers legs to make them fall flat on their face. She even used it to wrap around their whole bodies, swing them around as if they were on a spinny ride, and then bend the chain away from their body; causing them to spin on their own and crash into a building.

"I think she may be doing more damage than the firebendrs," Suki said.

Everyone nodded as her parents bit their nails.

"RETREAT!" A solider called out.

Toph stood their victorious with her hands on her hips and she felt the soldiers scurrying away; some limping and others carrying unconscious commrads away.

"HA HA HA!" Toph laughed. "You can't defeat me! I AM THE BEST EARTH AND METAL BENDER EVER!" She then turned to her friends and said, "Man, you weren't getting when you said this was a major issue. Psycho man wants to take over everything!"

"Toph… You were amazing!" Sokka complimented.

"Thanks, but we already knew that. HAHA!" She laughed as she stepped back onto her property… and was instantly hugged by her parents.

"Are you ok?!" her father asked.

"Did you break a nail?!" her mother asked.

"Any fractures?!"

"What about split ends in that pretty hair of yours?!"

"Mom… dad…. Enough!" Toph said pulling away. "I'm fine. Those firebenders were nothing."

"But-" her father started to protest, but Toph cut him off.

"I'm fine. I promise… but in all honesty… I just want to find every single soldier out there and the man ordering them around and show them who's boss! I want to get out there and mess them up!"

Her parents look like they were about to faint, but her friends smiled and laughed. Even Zuko managed a little one. Having Toph back on the team was just like old times. How they ever managed three years to be so far apart was a surprise to them now.

Toph packed what she needed and hugged her parents goodbye. Her mother had tears in her eyes and her father was worried. Toph went to pull away from the hug, but her parents didn't let go.

"Um… mom.. dad…" Toph said.  
"Sorry!" her parents said as they pulled away.

"Be safe," her mother said.

"And be careful," her father said.

"I will," Toph sighed; getting annoyed. "I just hope the town will be ok."

"It will," her father confirmed. "By the time you get back it should look like it did before."

She nodded. "Good… Well… I'll see you when this whole thing is over."

"We love you, Toph," her mother said. "Come home in safetly."

Toph smiled a little. "I will. I love you too."

"We'll miss you," her father said.

Toph smiled more. Fore once, they werent' trying to stop her even though she knew they wanted to. They were slowly coming around and she knew they loved her. "I'll miss you too." She then turned to her friends and smiled wickedly. "NOW LET'S GO KICK SOME ENEMY BUTT!"  
Her parents sighed and shook their head. Even after saying "I love you" and "I'll miss you" it still didn't change the fact that Toph was never going to be the lady they wanted her to be. Her friends laughed as Toph had a big smile on her face. Once again, she was free to have an adventure and be herself without having to do anything proper.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****: YAY! Toph is back! :D I hope everyone enjoyed her fight. I wasn't sure what to write for it and just went off what was coming to mind at that moment lol For the next chapter, there will be some more characters we all know and love… and even… THE RETURN OF RIKYA AND OZAI! MUWAHAHAHA! D I'll work on that when I can and post it up hopefully soon. Until then… just imagine all the terrible things Rikiya can possibly do XD**


	9. The Human Blockade

**AUTHOR'S NOTE****: So, yeah it's been a while since I posted something due to school... and I know it's half the summer already, but there's been a lot going on to the point that I haven't felt like doing much; including writing lol However, I have finished another chapter as well and I'm posting it right after I post this. It's a very important chapter to the story and it's my own opinion in a way that deals with a question that was never answered in the ATLA series. Plus, it's also just something that fits the story lol I haven't proof read it yet so there might be some errors. I'll write a little more about it at the end of the next chapter in an author's note. Also, speaking about proof reading, I can't remember if I proof read this current chapter or not. I feel like I did, but as I was going through it to make sure everything was there, I found some errors lol So I'm sorry if there's something I missed.**

Other than that, hope you enjoy the chapter! As well as the next one!

* * *

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter 8: The Human Blockade**

* * *

**Act 1 **

* * *

The late morning sun was beaming in Aang's face, but he continued to sleep without it even the slightest motion or sound that it was bothering him. He laid still and breathed shallowly. Everyone thought he was just in a deep sleep; which was why he was the last one up. Everyone else was annoyed by the sun when it rose. Flying on Appa didn't help the brightness any and they had been flying the whole night. The sudden dark to light was brutal, but Appa wasn't effected. He continued to fly lazily in the sky with no problems at all. He wasn't the least bit tired; having done worse when they were in the war. Aang eventually began to stir. He opened his eyes slowly and quickly shut them again. The light hurt them. He sat up and rubbed one of his eyes.

"Um… guys?" Aang asked, now realizing everyone else was already up. A sound of urgence was in his voice.

"No… don't' say it," Sokka warned. "I know that tone… Please don't say it."

"That… I had another vision?"

Sokka sighed and hung his head. "I told you not to say it."

"Sorry Sokka… this has to do with some friends of ours again. I saw The Duke, Pipsqueak and Longshot in it. They didn't look like they were in danger… but they do need some help. I also think we might be getting close to the mystery man."

"Mystery PSYCHO man," Toph corrected.

"Yeah, him."

"Well, if your vision is FINALLY going to lead us to him," Sokka began, "then let's go… That is, if your vision told us where to go."

"Don't worry. I know where to go."

Aang took the reigns and directed Appa on the right path. Eventually, they landed in a dense wooded area. Aang jumped down and looked in every direction. This was the right place, he was sure of it. Though, there were no freedom fighters in sight. Aang scratched his head in confusion until a metal, Fire Nation carriage was heard riding down the path. Aang hid behind a tree and everyone else hid on Appa's saddled. Appa didn't know where to hide because he was so big. He just laid on the ground and covered his face with his front paws.

Aang peeked out from behind the tree to watch the carriage. Two drivers were controlling the ostrich-horses that were pulling the carriage. To Aang, it looked like the same men who were taking Suki to prison. Could they possibly be doing the same thing to other people? Either way, Aang couldn't just stand there and watch the Fire Nation possibly take more innocent people away. He stepped out from behind the tree and was about to run for the carriage until…

A person dived out of a tree and struck one of the Fire Nation soliders in the side.

Aang and his friends watched stunned. More people came out of the bushes and from behind trees. Some fought the firebenders as others broke the lock on the back of the carriage; letting the prisoners escape. The ostrich-horses squirmed wanting to get away from the fight and caused the carriage to shake and eventually fall over on it's side. The firebenders barely noticed what was happening behind them. They were too focused on the people who ambushed them from the front. With the group around them closing in, the firebenders had no idea who to attack first. They barely had enough room to fight properly. Suddenly, the firebenders were pounced on as they were attacked at once. The move happened to suddenly, they didn't have a chance to create fire. The firebenders were left on the ground unconscious and the attackers ran back into the forest with the people who used to be prisoners.

Aang couldn't let these people just get away without finding out who they were, why they did what they did, and what was going on. He ran after then and everyone else followed right behind him. They ran right past the unconscious soldiers, knowing they would wake up eventually. At least the ostrich-horses had calmed down enough so they didn't have to worry about getting trampled.

"Hey! Wait!" Aang called out to the rescuers.

He didn't know if they heard him or not. He couldn't see them anymore. He hoped he hadn't lost them already. Eventually, he had to hit the brakes because a young boy with a spear jumped out in front of him and pointed the spear right in his face. Aang screamed, eyes went wide and he realized he was only a few centimeters away from the tip of the spear.

The young boy then began to yell, "Who are you?! And why are you follow-" He then realized who he was pointing the spear at and a wide smile spread across his face. "Aang! It's been so long!" He then realized the spear was still in Aang's face and he removed it. "Sorry about that. I thought you might've been another Fire Nation soldier."

At first, Aang and his friends were confused. How did this boy know them? They scanned him over and slowly realization sunk in. The helmet, the spear, the tattered clothing…

"Duke!" they all yelled joyfully.

The Duke sighed. "How many times do I have to tell people?! It's _THE_ Duke!" His voice cracked a little. He was hitting puberty. He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes being annoyed of the cracking.

Everyone laughed and Katara said, "You've definitely grown taller since the last time we saw you."

"Well, you guys have been away for a long time. Things change." He chuckled. "Come on, I'll take you back to our camp. The others should be there with the people we saved soon."

After Aang retrieved Appa and Momo, The Duke led them a long way to their camp with no threats following them. When they entered the camp, they saw rows of tents and a place to set a campfire. All the Freedom Fighters were there and were helping the people they saved to calm down and settle in.

"What happened to your other place?" Katara asked.

"It's still around," The Duke confirmed, "but when we learned of people being captured by the Fire Nation again, we figured we'd help."

"Yeah… what's up with the Fire Nation lately?" a deep voice asked. Everyone looked up to see Pipsqueak standing there looking confused at Zuko.

Zuko sighed and nodded. "There's… a lot of explaining to do, but I can reassure you I have nothing to do with it."

"Didn't think you did," Smellerbee chimed in; walking up with Longshot. "Well, at least… we were hoping you didn't." Longshot gave a nod in agreement with her.

"So, with that feeling of relief," Pipsqueak continued, "It's great to see you guys again!"

"It's great to see you all too," Aang said with a smile. "And it's great to hear what you guys have been doing."

Everyone nodded and Smellerbee said, "We didn't just want to do it… we also felt like it's what Jet would've wanted… and to honor him in a way."

Aang and his friends nodded solemly. Jet's passing wasn't a happy memory for any of them. They fell in silence; almost like a mutual moment of silence for the fierce and beloved Freedom Fighter.

The Duke broke the silence by saying, "Some of the prisoners we've rescued have joined us to stop the Fire Nation. Others we helped take home."

"Many decided to help because we saw giant, Fire Nation machines riding through the forests," added Pipsqueak.

"We know which way they're headed," Smellerbee informed, "and we're going to form a blockade to stop them going any further to… wherever it is they're going."

Aang looked at his friends and with a nod to him, it was confirmed. Aang looked back at the Freedom Fighters and said, "We know who that could possibly be… We'll help you stop them."

* * *

Ozai sat in his chair; watching people walk back and forth as they did their duties on the machine they were riding on. He thrumbed his fingers on the arm of his chair impatiently; his face holding a scowl.

Rikiya sat beside him. He looked over and smirked, "if you scowl any longer you're face will get stuck that way… Oh wait, it probably already has 'cause that's all you do."

Ozai growled frustrated in his throat and snapped, "How much longer are we going to be on this contraption? We've been on here two days straight!"

Rikiya rolled his eyes and said, "I wouldn't say straight. We've made some stops to rest." He then added with sarcasm, "Would you like to make another one even though we already did five mintues ago for you?"

Ozai glared at him. "Don't talk to me in that tone of voice."

Rikiya didn't stop his sarcasm. "Oh I'm sorry. I just thought maybe your old, fragile body couldn't handle all this traveling." He smirked at seeing Ozai's anger fume. He stopped his sarcasm, but didn't stop criticizing. "You have lost a lot of weight in that prison, you know? You're far too thin and all that strength gone. What a pity. You're nothing like the man you used to be."

"That's enough!" Ozai yelled; causing some crew members to look. It didn't stop Rikiya's smirking though. He knew he hit a nerve. Ozai tried not to show it and stared straight ahead with his scowl deepened more on his face; not looking at Rikiya at all. "I hate going outside anyway. It's filthy."

Rikiya scoffed. "Well of course. It's the outside. There's going to be dirt everywhere you go."

It was Ozai's turn to roll his eyes and he shook his head. "I know that. I just want to because Fire Lord and get off this thing. I want my old life back."

Rikiya sighed. Everday he heard the same thing from Ozai and he was getting bored. "It's only been a few days on the trip and already you went from giddy to angry."

"I was NOT giddy."

Rikiya laughed with as much as he could muster. Laughing felt strang for him to do. "Yeah right. You were basically bouncing around in your seat like a little kid. You acted like you've never been on a trip before. Like you've never adventured the outside world." Ozai stayed silent and Rikiya raised an eyebrow. "…Wait… you've actually never been outside before?"

"Yes I have."

"Besides the times you might've walked around the palace ground… and besides the time when Sozin's comet came. Everybody know what happened there."

"DON'T bring that up!"

Rikya was enjoying this all too much. That smirk wouldn't leave his face and it was driving Ozai crazy. "Alright, alright. Let's just get back to the question. Have you never adventured the outside world?" Ozai was silent once more. "Wow. No wonder you knew nothing about the other nations. You just went ahead and continued with what your grandfather started without another thought. At least your brother saw the outside world."

"That's different. He was a general in the war. And how do you know about all this?!"

"True," Rikiya said ignoring the question. "But I bet he learned a ot more than you. You coul've still gone with him instead of cowering in the palace."

"I wasn't cowering! And besides, if my brother was killed then I would have to take the thrown. His son was in the war too and he died. If I died then my son would have to take the thrown possibly at eight years old and there was no way that… that disgrace to the family… that abomination… could rule the Fire Nation."

"Well, it seems he was doing a better job than you." Ozai shot Rikiya a deathly look. Rikiya knew that would hit him and continued, "At least, that's what the other nations think. Don't worry. I'm still on our side, Ozai." Ozai calmed down a bit and Rikiya smirked more. He stood and paced in front of Ozai pretending to be deep in thought. "But I must say… it sounds like you wanted your brother to die in that war. I bet it would've made everything a lot easier for you to convince your father to make you Fire Lord."

Ozai's anger raged through him again. "That's enough now Rikiya. You should top before you get hrut. You shouldn't even know what that."

Rikiya raised an eyebrow again. "You? Hurt me?" She chuckled and avoided to answer how he knew. "Though, seeing as you're not disagreeing with me… to me that proves you did want him dead."

Ozai sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. He was unfit to be Fire Lord."

Rikiya laughed coldy and stared at Ozai with a cold stare to match. He took a few steps toward Ozai and said, "I must say, I do love learning about royal families. Especially yours." He stood beside Ozai now and leaned down to be eye level with him. "There's so much… treachery… secrets… murder…" He saw Ozai's eyes shit to the side at the last word. "Ah, so there was a murder. This keeps getting better So tell me, who was it? Your father or your nephew? Or perhaps even just someone else. Maybe they knew too much."

Ozai growled and snapped, "You will keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you."

Rikiya's cold laughed returned. "You're not helping your case any. You keep slipping. That's not like you." He leaned in closer to Ozai and his tone turned extremely dark; along with his experession and in his eyes. "I can always tell when you're lying… even when you're hiding something. You're heart quickens like it is now. Sweat beings to form and bead down your face." A bead of sweat does just that on Ozai's forehead and Ozai quickly wiped it away. He felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest. Why was something like this getting to him? "You're breathing becomes heavier," Rikiya continued. Ozai realized how fast his chest was moving up… and down… up … and down. "You cant help but form a nervous twitch. Everyone has one when their nervous or scared." Ozai realized his right, pointer finger was scratching at the chair. He abruptly stopped it. "The blood in your veins is pulsing fast and hard, Ozai. You're eyes are wide with fright." Ozai shut his eyes and turns his head from Rikya. "Just know that you can never hide anything from me. I'll always find out the truth. So if one day, you ever even just form a thought about betraying me when our adventure grows further, I'll know about it. I'll sense it. And I won't be afraid to end you, right then and there. You can forget about ever becoming the Fire Lord if that happens." Ozai still didn't look at Rikiya and Rikiya held that dark expression; his evil stare intense. He then stood straight up and looked down at Ozai with a blank expression like nother ever happened. "So, do you want to make that stop now to rest?"

Ozai shook his head. "N-no." He grimaced at his stutter. He never stuttered before. "I'll be fine."

"Alright." Rikiya glanced up and saw a man standing there. "You there. Get your former Fire Lord a glass of water. It looks like he needs it."

The man stared frightened at Rikiya. He had saw what happened along with some other crew members. They were surprised that he even got Ozai scared. "Y-y-yes sir." The man ran off to fetch the glass of water.

Rikiya looked back down at Ozai not caring about the fact that everyone saw what he did. Ozai finally looked back up at him and Rikiya took that as a cue to continue. "You better calm down, Ozai. You're a mess. Someone might think you're hiding something." His smirk then returned. "Or that you're afraid for your life."

"Why did you do that?" Ozai asked. "Why did you say all those things?"

"To show you just how easy it is to get to you. I can get anyone to tell me thing, even if they don't say it straight out. You think I can't break you? Well, I have bad news for you. Even you, the once powerful Ozai, can be broken. The Avatar did it once… and I can finish eh job he couldn't fulfill. All it takes is one slip up, one betrayal… and you're through. So, with that … I'll leave you to compose yourself."

Rikiya then left with that smirk still written on his face. Ozai watched as he left and gripped the arms of his chair. Oh how he wished he had his firebending. He would burn that smirk right off his face. A glass full of water presenting itself in front of his face pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Here you go my former Fire Lord," the man that Rikiya commanded to get water said.

Ozai growled. "Don't. Call. Me. That." He snatched the water out of the man's hand and took a large gulp. He then said to no one in particular. "I will become Fire Lord again… and I'll make sure Rikiya is put in his place."

* * *

**ACT 2**

* * *

Night had fallen and the sky was clear; showing the bright stars. Everyone at the Freedom Fighter's camp was sitting around the large campfire to stay warm. Words were exchanged between the Fighter's and the Avatar gang on what had been going on since they last saw each other, how the blockade would be formed, what happened at the Fire Nation and Southern Water Tribe, and even everything in the Earth Kingdom along with the visions. The Freedom Fighter's were speechless at hearing what this man, who could possibly be stronger than Aang, was doing. They didn't know what this man was up to, but they didn't like what he was doing already.

"The blockade is a great idea," Aang said, "but… this guy, he's… he's strong and very skilled. I'm not sure the blockade with stop him, but we need to be well prepared either way."

Everyone understood Aang's warning, but it scared those who didn't know Rikiya. Hearing what he was doing was scary enough, but what would he do when they actually faced him?

"You said you know the direction the machines are headed," said Katara. "Which way is that exactly?"

"From what we can tell they're headed somewhat north to north east," Pipsqueak replied.

"Alright,"Sokka said. "Do you know the last place you saw the machines?"

"We jumped ahead of it only a few days ago at a nearby village. So at this moment, it's still south of us."

"Ok, then if they make no stops, they should meet our destination by morning. We don't have time to prepare something big, but we do have time to get ourselves ready. And hopefully, it will be something that this man won't see coming."

* * *

Soldiers had switched shifts on the machines riding through the forest. They had never stopped since before what had happened between Rikiya and Ozai. Ozai had stayed in the main control room where him and Rikiya usually sat. He wasn't sitting anymore. Instead he walked around making sure everyone did their job. Though secretly, he just didn't want to sit beside Rikiya again. Ozai couldn't help but feel Rikiya knew more than he let on. Maybe not completely everything about the royal family, but enough to get to Ozai. He knew Rikiya was right about one thing. There were many things he was hiding… but he wasn't the only one in this world who hid things. Rikiya was human too and every human had their secrets. There had to be something Rikiya hiding. Perhaps a weakness or something from the past…

He had to find out.

He turned on his heel and headed for a hallway that would lead to the small bedrooms. Rikiya's room would be the only place he knew he would find any evidence about this devious man. Unless, of course, Rikiya kept something on him. Ozai stopped at Rikiya's door and knocked to see if he was there. There was no answer. This was his chance. He looked around to make sure no one would see him and placed his hand on the doorknob. He turned and found the room wasn't locked. What luck! He guessed Rikiya thought maybe people would be too scared to even think about entering his room. He pushed the door open and entered. The room was bare; probably like many of the other rooms. No one really carried anything really sentimental with them while trying to conquer the world again, but sometimes there might be a picture or something on the dresser. In this room, there was nothing but a dresser and a bed. It was either going to be easy to find evidence or he wouldn't find anything at all. First, he looked under the bed…

Nothing.

Under the pillow and blankets.

Nothing.

He uncomfortably looked through the dresser drawers.

Nothing.

Under the dresser, behind it, checked for secret compartments…

Nothing.

With disappointment he fixed everything to make it look like he was never there. As he fixed the blankets and pillows, he tried to think of other ways to find evidence on Rikiya. There had to some way to find it. He finished fixing the bed and then, a thought came to him. The matteress. The only other place he hadn't looked. He quickly lift the mattress completely up and saw…

Nothing; yet again. That was it, his last hope… Until he saw a tiny sliver in the mattress. I reached out and felt that it opened up. He pushed his fingers inside and felt something like paper. He grabbed a hold of it and pulled it out. It was in fact a piece of folded up paper. He quickly unfolded it; hoping it contained something to get Rikiya back. The paper didn't show much. It was old and some of the words were faded, but still readable. He would've read all of it if something didn't catch his eye right away. It was what Rikiya had circled. It read:

"_There is no stopping the Darkness from consuming it_."

"What are you doing in here?" a low, demanding voice said.

Ozai snapped around to see where the voice came from. It was Rikiya and he stood in the doorway with a blank expression, but with an intense stare. He knew very well what Ozai was doing and knew what he had found. It was unclear what Rikiya was planning to do. Would he just stand there or would he attack? Was it over for Ozai? Whatever was going through his head, Ozai stood frozen unsure of what to do. He had been caught. What else could he do?

"What does this paper mean, Rikiya?" Ozai asked; deciding to not even try and deny what he found.

Rikiya walked slowly to him; never taking his stare of Ozai. It was so intense, Ozai wondered if he even blinked at all. "I believe, I asked you a question first." Rikiya stopped in front of Ozai and Ozai really thought this might be the end now. He blew it. Rikiya would never help him.

"You know why I'm in here," Ozai said; trying to not show conern for his own life.

Rikiya's mouth formed somewhere between a smirk and a sneer. "At least you admit it." He snatched the paper from Ozai's hand and held it up to his face. "This is not for you to see."

It was Ozai's turn to smirk. "I know, but what you know about me isn't for you to know either. There you were earlier getting onto me about hiding secrets… When all along you've been hiding something too. Everyone has secrets. You found some of mine out… and now I'm finding yours."

Rikiya's sneer went away and now his mouth formed a complete smirk. He shook his head and said, "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. This secret is far worse than yours. It's too dangerous."

"Why? Why is it so dangerous?"

Rikiya's sneer returned, though he still held that smirk. "Because it's something beyond anyone's control… Especially mine."

It didn't make sense to Ozai. It was dangerous. It was beyond control. What could it mean? "So, this darkness… What is it? Is it coming for us? Is it consuming this world? The paper said there's no stopping from the darkness to consume _it_. What is that'it,' Rikiya?"

Rikiya's smirked wider and his eyes grew more intense. "You didn't read the whole thing, did you?" Ozai didn't say a word. He was wishing he had though. Rikiya continued, "The 'it' is for me to only know about. Don't be concerned too much though. It has nothing to do with you." He then folded the paper back up and slid it in his pocket.

"Why hold on to it?" Ozai asked. "Afraid I'll come in again? Afraid someone else might fight it and read the whole thing?"

"No," Rikiya answered. "I always have it on me… but tonight was different."

"Why?"

Rikiya smirked more and in a mocking way. "Why do I always have it on me? Or why was tonight different?"

Ozai took a second to respond. He didn't realize his question could mean two things. "Both."

"I always have it on me as a reminder… but as for why tonight was different." He laughed coldly. "I was curious."

"Curious about what?"

"What you were going to do."

Ozai's eyes widen. Had Rikiya figured out he would snoop and planted his very secret for Ozai to find? Why would he do that?

"I knew after I frighented you this morning you would want to find out something about me," Rikiya informed. "I hid this paper under the mattress to test your thinking process… and I knew you wouldn't read everything. The eye always goes to what sticks out the most."

Ozai couldn't believe all this. Was it true? Could Rikiya really read his thoughts and motives so easily? "But you couldn't have known when?"

"Oh, but I did. You would go when you knew I wasn't around and when majority of the people were asleep. It would make it easier to not be caught. I just timed it all to know when to come down here."

Ozai was impressed, but also creeped out on how accurate he was. "But why did you plant your secret, of all things, for me to find?"

Rikiya shrugged. "You're right. We're both hiding something… but there is a difference."

"What's that?"

"I'm in your head. I know what you think. I know what you're going to do… but you? You have no way of being able to read me so easily. I am _not_ an open book."

Ozai shook his head. This man was good, but too good. "This was just another way to prove you can get to me, wasn't it?"

Rikiya nodded. "Ineed it was." He then leaned forward and his intense stare was back. "Now get out of my room… and never come back here."

Ozai glared at the man, but didn't know what else to say. He stepped passed Rikiya and headed out the door; ranting in his head about what happened. Rikiya watched as Ozai left, his emotionless expression shown on his face again, and slammed the door. Ozai scoffed and shook his head. If this man wasn't going to help him, he would've left already. The only reason he stayed was because he wanted his firebending back and to be Fire Lord. He saw no other way than staying with Rikiya to gain it.

As he walked back into the main room of the machine, he couldn't stop thinking about the meaning of the paper. What was this Darkness? What was it going to consume? Why couldn't it be stopped? If only he had read more on the paper, he would probably have the answers. It would be harder to get it now since Rikiya would probably keep it on him. He decided on one solution. Once he became Fire Lord again, he would demand Rikiya to tell him everything. It would probably be a long wait, but he was willing to do it.

* * *

As the campers slept, Sokka's ear twitched. He didn't want to wake up just yet, but a sound was calling out to him to wake up. It was a horrible sound. Like metal colliding against metal. His eyes then shot open. Metal. That could only mean one thing.

"GUYS!" he yelled out as he struggled to get out of his sleeping bag. "We gotta go! NOW! It's time!"

Everyone sat up with a jolt and tried to wake themselves up to get moving. Aang made sure that Appa and Momo stayed behind. It was going to be way too dangerous for them. It didn't take long for everyone to run fast into the forest. They only hoped they hadn't slept too long for the machines to pass them.

"Here!" Sokka called out. "This is a good spot. Let's go!"

They scurried and lined up side by side; holding hands. They stood still and heard the mechanical sound growing closer and closer. It didn't take too long for the machines to appear in between the trees and they were headed straight for the blockade.

The soldiers driving the first machine saw the blockade in the distance. He was confused at first, but once he realized they were people, he gasped and yelled out, "STOP THE MACHINE! There are people in our way!"

It took a while for the machine to slow down and it looked like it wasn't going to stop in time.

"We should move!" Smellebee yelled out to Sokka. "They won't be able to stop in time! We need to back up!"  
"Just wait!" Sokka called out. "They're stopping. I can tell. Give it time."

The machine was growing closer and showed signs of slowing down, but it was still coming to fast. The people in the blockade were getting ready to turn and run.

"Come on, come on," Sokka coaxed the machine. "Stop. I know you will. Just stop."

It was a close call, but the machine came to a stop only five feet in front of the blockade. This was it. The time was now. They would soon face the Fire Nation… and the man who planned this whole quest to ruin the world.

* * *

**ACT 3**

* * *

"No one move," Sokka commanded. "Whatever this guy does… just keep standing strong."

No one budged, but on the machines people were stirring. The people in the first machine were confused as to why these people were standing in a line holding hands. In the other machines, people were just confused as to why they stopped. Soldiers began to step out to check on the first machine, but then saw the line of the blockade.

"What's going on? Why have we stopped?" Rikiya asked demandingly as he stepped into the main room of the machine.

"There's people, sir," a solider said.

Rikiya shrugged. "So?"

"They're blocking our path. I would turn and go around them, but the machines can't make that sharp of a turn."

Rikiya approached the front window of the machine. He stared out at the line of people before them and commanded, "Run them over."

The soldier's eyes grew wide. He didn't want to do that. "B-but, sir, I-"

"Wait," Rikiya interrupted. He looked closer at a couple of the people he saw standing in the line. He knew these people. The Avatar and his friends. He smirked and said, "Disregard what I said. It seems some people I know have finally found me and brought along a couple of friends… I think I'll have some fun."

With that, he headed for the door. If the Avatar and his friends wanted a fight, then so be it. He was always willing to get it one. Plus he was getting bored. Hanging around Ozai every single day wasn't exacting the most exciting thing in the world. He also figured it would be a good way to release some annoyance of Ozai on these kids while showing them what he was made of.

"Should I come?" Ozai asked.

Rikiya didn't bother answering him. Truth was, he really didn't care what Ozai did. Not being answered offended Ozai, but he decided he'd follow. Rikiya stepped on the terrain with a smug smile. He strode over to the line and only locked eyes on the Avatar and the friends who were traveling with him. The people who didn't know him, including Suki, Toph, Sokka and Katara, could feel an ominous presence about him. They realized what had been said about Rikiya was true. He seemed rude with that smug smile, but most of all… he was frightening. Though this was the first time Aang and Zuko had seen the man without a hood over his face. With that new feature, they couldn't help but feel creeped out with this guy yet again.

"So… I see you've found me," Rikiya said looking at Aang and Zuko mostly, "and I see you've brought quite a few friends… What are you planning to do? Fight me?"

"Who are you?!" Sokka yelled; taking a step toward Rikiy. "Tell us your name! Why are you helping Ozai?!"

Rikiya stared him for a second and said, "Sokka, am I correct?" Sokka was taken back by that. How did he know who he was? Sure he helped save the world and all, but a lot of people didn't know what he looked like. "And let's see… you have your sister Katara with you… then there's your girlfriend, Suki… and your friend Toph… Then the rest are the Freedom Fighters and, this is just a guess, earthbenders who were saved from being taken to a prison." No else spoke. Who could he know all this? "Judging by the lack of responses, I'm going to say I'm correct."

"Ok, so you some how know who we are," Sokka replied, "but you didn't answer my question. _Who_ are _you_!"

Rikiya smirked. He knew this boy could get worked up easily. "That's right, I never introduced myself… My name, is Rikiya… and I believed you asked me another question too. Why am I helping Ozai? Well… I'm going to give him his firebending back and make him Fire Lord again." Everyone's eyes grew wide at that comment and Rikiya enjoyed it.

"You're lying," Zuko spoke out. "There's no way he could get his bending back." Everyone looked to Toph and Aang to see if this was true.

Aang shook his head. He couldn't tell and Toph said, "The only person I couldn't tell if they were lying or not was Azula… but this guy… I can't even feel emotion. It's like he's… empty."

Everyone looked at Rikiya who stood there bored. He sighed and said, "Are you don't talking about me in front of me… or are we going to start the fight you want to try and win to stop me?"

Getting tired of the way Rikiya talked to people, Toph earthbend a large rock at him. Rikiya was well prepared. As the rock approached inch by inch, he formed a fireball in his hand. He formed a simple firebending move that would consist of the fire coming out of his fist. The ball of fire he created, was strong enough to blast the rock into tiny pieces. Everyone's wide eyes returned. Rikiya was fast and powerful. They would have to do a lot more than just one attack.

So, they attacked all at once.

Toph earthbend, Sokka and Suki fought side by side with punches, Katara waterbend with whatever had a water source to it, Aang used all the elements, Zuko used firebending and lightning, The Freedom Fighters fought witht their weapons, and the prisoner who were saved fought with their earthbending. The attack looked like a clash of elements and weapons. Ozai wasn't sure how Rikiya would get himself out of this one.

That's when a blast of fire shot upwards from the spot where Rikiya was standing. The fire then blast out from around him and hit anyone standing nearby. Suki almost was burned, but Sokka pushed her out of the way in time and was burned instead. Some Freedom Fightes and majority of the saved earthbenders were burned as well. The rest protected themselves with bending or was able to move away quick enough. The ones burned fell back from the crowd. Rikiya's fire was really hot and caused severe burns.

"Sokka!" Suki cried out and went to his aid and he held both his arms.

This only left Aang, Katara, Zuko, Toph, Smelleree, Longshot, and two earthbenders. Rikiya was able to take out half of the group alone. His soldiers just stood and watched the fight. They were too in awe to even think about helping. As the benders and Freedom Fighters continued to fight, Toph managed to slip away. She was going to take out the machines with her metal bending. It was perfect timing, but Aang, after seeing his fallen friends severly burned and too in pain to even move, he was going to trigger his Avatar State. Rikiya was just too strong and he had to be stopped now. Rikiya saw that Aang's eyes were starting to grow. He smirked. He knew what he needed to do…

_WHACK!_ Ozai had come up behind Aang with a stick and hit him in the back on the head extremely hard. The Avatar fell to the ground unconscious.

"Aang! No!" Katara yelled out. She tried to reach him to help him.

Rikiya raised an eyebrow. Maybe Ozai wasn't so useless after all, but he couldn't let this distract him. With one wide swipe of his arm, a lazing line of fire skated across the air straight towards the people he was fighting. This caught the earthbenders off guard because they were focused on Aang and it stopped Katara from reaching Aang. Katara was fast enough to protect herself, but the other benders were not. Even Smellerbee and Longshot weren't so lucky. Katara fround herself too close to Rikiya and Rikiya took advantage of this. He shot multiple fire balls from his fists. Katara was able to put out a few with ther bending, but they were coming too fast. Zuko tried to help by attacking Rikiya with his own firebending, but Rikiya was able to focus too well on both of them. Katara tripped over a rock sticking out from under the ground and screamed as she watched the fire balls approach. They hit their target. Katara tried to heal herself as Zuko continued to attack Rikiya. That's when Rikiya heard the crushing of metal. He glanced over and saw Toph crunching the front part of his machine. He knocked Zuko off his feet with a surprised, low, swing kick and approached Toph.

Toph was really focusing on what she was doing, but stopped and gasped. She could feel the bender approaching her and then… she felt heat. It was getting hotter and hotter. Rikiya had shot fire at her! She jumped out of the way in the direction she thought the fire was coming from. It brushed by just an inch in front of her face. Rikiya tried to hit her again, but Zuko jumped in front of him and diminished his fire. It was fire bender against fire bender. Toph tried to go back to working on the machine, but the flames from the two fire bender's kept getting in the way.

"Stop shooting fire over here Zuko!" Toph yelled out.

"I can't! I'm sorry!" Zuko yelled back.

This small conversation was a big mistake. Rikiya knew Zuko was distracted and swiped a high kick at Zuko's side. Zuko grimaced. The kick was painful and strong. It would definitely bruise and he wouldn't be surprised if he had a broken rib. He could've sworn he felt something snap. Zuko fell to the ground; holding his side. He wouldn't be able to fight like this even if he tried.

Sokka watched the event play in front of him. The only person ready to fight was Toph. She was strong, but he knew Rikiya was stronger. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was so sure they were going to be able to stop Rikiya. But now, there were too many people who had fallen and were in pain. What made him feel sick to his stomach the most was, Rikiya looked like he was enjoying it. There was a thirst to kill in his eyes. Sokka's eyes grew wide. Now he knew if everyone stayed any longer… Rikiya would kill them for sure even if they were already defeated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that his sister had healed herself and was ready to fight some more, but he couldn't let that happen.

"RETREAT!" Sokka yelled out.

Katara snapped him a surprised look, but then took in the realization that they really had lost this fight. She hurried and scooped up Aang; dragging him back into the woods. Toph and Suki tried to help Zuko and everything else either ran or helped others who couldn't walk on their own. Rikiya watched them leave without doing anything else to them. His eyes were still full of lust to kill, but he then closed them and took a deep breath. He had to calm down.

"You let them go?" Ozai asked.

"Looks like it, doesn't it?" Rikiya retorted with sarcasm. "It's just not time to kill them. Not yet anyway." He then turned to his soldiers and said, "Alright men, shows over. Let's continue on."

* * *

As the soldiers went back to the controls on the machine's, everyone at the Freedom Fighter's camp were being healed by Katara. Luckily, she was able to save many of their burns, but there were some that would have minor scars.

"Ow!" Sokka winced.

"If you would stop moving I could heal you better and it wouldn't hurt," Katara scolded.

"Sorry."

Katara smiled a little and looked over at Suki. "How's Aang?"

"Still unconscious, but he's fine," Suki replied.

Katara nodded and looked at Zuko. "How are you doing? Do I need to ease the pain some more?"

"I'm fine for now," Zuko said, but then winced when he moved just a little bit. "Except when I move."

"Hold on, I'll help you." She finished with Sokka and went to work on Zuko's side.

"I can't believe we failed," Sokka said grimly. "I was so sure we were going to stop him."

"Don't worry about it Snoozles," Toph said. "We'll get him next time. We just need to find a way to out power his strength."

"How?"

"… I don't know… but maybe we could find a way… The only thing I can think of is Aang going into the Avatar State, but we saw how well that went."

"Yeah, that's it! We need to find a way for Aang to go into the state with surprise…. Now we just … need to find Rikiya again." Sokka sighed.

"We'll find him again," Katara said with confidence. "We always find our enemy… and we always stop them."

* * *

The machines were once again riding through the forest. Rikiya sat calmly at his seat and Ozai was sitting beside him again. Rikiya looked like he hadn't even broke a sweat or was even the least bit tired after the fight.

A soldier approached Rikiya nervously and asked, "Um… sir… I just want you to know we're close to our destination."

Rikiya nodded at him in acknowledgement. To the soldier's relief, Rikiya looked pleased. "Excellent. When we get there, just stop as close as you can."

The soldier nodded and went back to his duties. Ozai leaned over and asked, "where are we stopping at?"

Rikiya waved him off and said, "eh, you'll see."

Ozai rolled his eyes. He hated it when Rikiya never told him things. He decided to change the subject since he knew Rikiya wouldn't answer his question. "You know… you're looking just a bit to calm after that fight."

Rikiya shrugged and smirked. "I enjoy a good fight… and I love how this quest is progressing. The Avatar really wants to stop me and he thinks he can by gathering more people to be at his side. It makes it more interesting." He looked at Ozai and smirked more. "And I think I'm going to have a lot of fun."

Ozai had to admit. He liked Rikiya's style.

"Now unless you want me to get information out of you again… I suggest you stop talking," Rikiya warned. "I want some silence for a while and you're always the one to disrupt it."

Ozai glared at him. Yes, he liked Rikiya's style… but he hated how rude he was.


	10. Azula's Hidden Past

**Avatar: The Last Hope**

**Book Four: Air**

**Chapter 9: Azula's Hidden Past**

* * *

**Act 1**

* * *

It was a calm, sunny, peaceful, beautiful day in the Earth Kingdom. The weather was comfortable and the birds were chirping. It was the perfect day to do anything and everyone, who weren't effected by the Fire Nation, were laughing, talking and having fun.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LOST THE TRAIL!" Azula yelled out in anger; causing birds to fly away scared in a nearby tree. "WE WERE GETTING SO CLOSE!"

Tomomi, Tomoki, and Tomoya cowered by a tree as they watched the angered, exhausted looking princess yell at them. They had traveled a long way and Azula hadn't slept in a few days. At least, not a very good sleep. She would take short naps and then search for the Avatar some more. She was becoming obsessed. When the triplets had announced they found a trail, she was pleased and followed them to village after village where the Avatar and his friends had spent time at. The triplets and Mai wanted to stay at the villages for at least the night to sleep well and have have decent food, but Azula had none of that. Her thought process was if they could continue traveling fast enough then eventually they would catch up to the Avatar. Tomoya was getting worried about Azula. He hated seeing how tired she looked and that she wasn't eating much. Whenever he suggested she should rest or eat, she would just blow up at him and say that she didn't need any sympathy or told when she should sleep or eat. She would decide on that herself. Tomomi and Tomoki kept telling him that he should just forget about Azula. She would probably never like him back, but Tomoya would just shake his head. He knew it could be true, but either way he was still determined to help her. Now, after a few days of searching, they had lost the Avatar's trail by misjudging the direction and were completely lost. They never thought it would be possible to see Azula angrier than she was now.

"We're sorry! We're sorry!" the triplets cried out.

"You're sorry!" Azula screamed. "Sorry doesn't cut it! Nothing cuts it! Nothing can take back this crucial mistake you've made! If Rikiya wasn't in control here I would just-" She formed lightning at the tip of her fingers and the triplets cowered. She got ready to strike, but she soon stopped herself and calmed down; taking a deep breath. "No… you know what? Forget it. We should just… take a break. Seeing as we have nothing else better to do. So, let's set up camp… again. Before night falls." She then spat out in disgust. "I can't believe I have to say those words."

The triplets were relieved they weren't killed just then as they watched Azula walk off to choose a place to set up camp. Eventually, night had fallen and all they managed to do was build a campfire. They didn't have the right resources to make a tent. At least, not to Azula's liking. She refused to use nature as a tent.

Azula and Mai stood near the fire as the brothers sat by it on the ground. The triplets joked around, told ghost stories, and simply had fun. Once in a while, Mai would smile slightly at the corner of her mouth while shaking her head because of how ridiculous the brothers were being. They were good people and they made this quest for the Avatar barable. As for Azula, they made the quest more irritable. Why was it so hard to find the Avatar? She had always found him before. Then again, she was the strong, fearful princess of the Fire Nation then. Now, everyone viewed her as a psychopath. Most of all, she hated herself for being a failure to her father. She had stooped down to her brother's level. She could not let that happen. She needed to gain her status back and the triplets, those fools, were stalling her.

"Hey… hey Tomoki," Tomomi said while laughing. "You remember that time when we were kids and we decided to explore that haunted house down the road from us?"

"Oh yeah!" Tomoki busted out laughing. "And to see if it really was haunted we sent Tomoya in." Both Tomoki and Tomomi laughed hysterically as Tomoya shook his head.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Tomoya said. "Laugh it up. It's just because I was the last born that you sent me in. In reality you two were cowards."

"You're right about the last born part, "Tomomi said, "but the coward part is wrong."

"Ha! Yeah right!" Tomoya laughed. "You two never set a foot in there. I, on the other hand, did!"

They began arguing in a playful way until a voice said, "Shut up."

The brothers looked up at Azula. She was looking directly at them and she didn't looked pleased. Tomoya opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Don't," Azula snapped. "Just stay silent. I'm tired of hearing you three every minute of the day. You're not focused enough on our mission. Instead you'd rather look and girls, joke around, and tell stories. That is not what this mission is about. That is not what Rikiya assigned for us to do and that is not what will help my father and I gain control of the Fire Nation again. So grow up and start acting like soldiers! Or I'll make you myself!"

The brothers and Mai stared wide eyed at Azula. It wasn't a surprise that Azula would say something like this, but it came out of no where. "Calm down, Azula," Mai said. "They weren't doing anything wrong."

"Not doing anything wrong?" Azula mocked with a glare at Mai. "They've been doing everything wrong! They're useless! I would rather just leave them here and never have anything to do with them again!"

Mai sighed; rolling her eyes. She was getting used to Azula acting like this. "Just relax."

"No! I won't! They're messing everything up! And you're no help either!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"You don't help me stop them! You let them joke around! It's like you're just encouraging to let them continue!"  
"I let them because there's nothing wrong with it."

Azula growled and a small amount of blue flames shot out of her mouth. "You all are useless! I would probably just do better doing this on my own!"

"Stop it, Azula," Mai actually snapped out.

Azula was taken back by this. She gave Mai a cold, deathly, harsh stare. "Excuse me? What did you just say to me?"

"I said to stop."

Azula scoffed. "You dare talk to me that way? Your princess?"

"Sorry Azula, you may be a princess by blood, but right now you have no authority. You lost that."

"How dare you… How. Dare. You!"

"How dare I? You're the one yelling at everyone around here when there's nothing wrong… So, now I'm giving you a taste of your own medicine."

"By insulting me? I thought you were on my side."

"I am… but you used to have better control of yourself."

"I have control!" Azula yelled; without realizing she had just lost control.

Mai shook her head. "No, you don't… You're acting like how Zuko used to. Short tempered and yelling at everyone."

That was it. The greatest insult Azula could have ever received. The comparison to her brother. She stared shocked at Mai and tried to come up with a comeback, but for once was coming up empty. She shook her head in disbelief. How could someone ever compare her to her worthless brother? She looked at the brothers, who backed away a bit from her, to see if they had anything to say too. They didn't. She looked back at Mai and Mai didn't break eye contact. With nothing said from Mai or the brothers, Azula walked off.

"You're all despicable. Every single one of you," Azula muttered.

Everyone watched as Azula walked away. Mai didn't even flinch to go after her. She knew eventually Aula would come back. Tomomi and Tomoki still stared wide eyed. They were sure the princess would probably do something to them. Tomoya was the only one who looked concerned.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mai simply replied. "She's be fine."

"Aawww," Tomomi and Tomoki said in unison. "You worry about her!"

"That's adorable, bro," Tomomi said pinching his brothers cheek.

"Ah! Stop!" Tomoya said pushing his brother's hand away and stood up. "I've got to go after her. I'll be back."  
He started to head off in the direction Azula went, but a hand was placed on his shoulder and a simple command was given. "Stop," Mai said. "It'll be best to just leave her alone. She'll be back."

Tomoya sighed and stared off into the distance where he knew Azula was. He wanted to help. He wanted to comfort her. Yet, here he was being told to not go after the person he really cared about. He hung his head and reclaimed his seat next to his brothers. Secretly, he made a promise to Azula. If she didn't come back soon, he _would_ go after her. No matter what anyone else says.

Azula continued to walk, making sure she was far enough away from everyone, but fatigue was getting to her. She knew she wasn't sleeping as much as she should have, nor was she eating much anymore. It was unhealthy, but she had to succeed in this mission. She would do whatever it took. Though, right now, she knew she couldn't walk even another minute. She stopped and leaned against a tree rubbing her forehead. She felt a little dizzy, but thankfully just standing there a while was helping her focus again. She sighed and looked around. Maybe she could just sit down for a while and try to relax to think things through. To the right she found a pond. Perfect. Maybe that would help her calm down.

Kneeling in front of the pond, she scooped some water in her hands and washed her face. She hated feeling dirty, but this was as far as she was getting with cleaning in pond water. That's what peasants do; not her. Besides, she was tired of feeling lower than what her rank should be. She wasn't about to lower herself even more. Though, it did feel good to at least have her face and hands cleaned. She even let some of the water run through her hair and was surprised to feel how tangled it had become. There were even some tiny leaves in it. Did she really allow herself to get _this_ dirty? She gazed at her reflection in the water to check what else was in her hair… but the person staring back at her… she didn't recognize. The once powerful princess… was no more. Her hair was everywhere, her eyes were tired and sunken, she looked too thin…

She hit the water to rid of the image. She couldn't stand to look at it anymore and buried her face in her arms; bringing her knees up to her chest.

"What hppaned to me?" she asked herself in barely even a whisper. "Why does it have to be like this?" She felt like crying, but wouldn't allow herself. She wouldn't even form the slightest of tears. "I wish… things could've happened differently."

* * *

_"Hey Zuko!" a four year old Azula called out to her six year old brother. "You want to play a game with me?"_

_ Zuko smiled at his little sister and, without any hesitation, he said, "Sure! What do you want to play?"_

_ Azula loved it when she was able to play with her brother. She knew sometimes he could get a little cranky, but she loved that it never stopped him from excepting to play with her. This was a simplier time in their lives and a happy time. They were just kids who were born into a time of war like everyone else around them. At this time, they really didn't understand what that meant for them. They were care free… and they got along well unlike other siblings their age. They knew nothing of what the future would bring; all the hardships and their relationship as brother and sister torn apart. They knew nothing about how Zuko would one day become Fire Lord and Azula would become manipulative and evil to soon lose her mind; seeking deeper into hatred. Right now, all that mattered, was what they would play for the day. _

_ "How about tag?" Azula asked excitedly. _

_ Zuko laughed at her excitement. "That sounds great." He then nudged her arm and said, "You're it!" and took of running. _

_ "Hey!" Azula called out with a laugh and chased her brother around. Like always, she was able to catch him. He didn't even let her win on purpose because he knew she could win on her own. She was just that good, but it didn't really irritate Zuko. It was just nice to have some fun._

_ During their firebending practices, both did well on their levels, but Azula was stronger. Zuko was actually amazed to see how quickly she picked up on moves as he still struggled with ones he was taught months ago. He wondered if she would surpass him even when she just started. Little did they know, Ozai would watch from inside the palace; watching them through the windows. The children usually practiced outside when it was a nice day. He took notice to how skilled Azula was and pondered. Would she be the better heir to have on the throne?He never really took notice to how behind Zuko was in training until Azula started hers. Instead of helping Zuko, he decided to focus on his second born. He had plans for her now. His heart also went out to her somewhat. He knew how it felt to be the second born and he didn't want her to have a lesser chance at the throne. Although, Azula had just started her training. It would be useless to start his plans now. He decided it would be best to wait a few years so she could get as much training in on her own as possible. _

_ Two years later, the relationship between Azula and Zuko was still the same. They would play and practice firebending together and each time Azula would win. Though, there were times she decided she hold back and let Zuko win a few every once in a while. She was now six and Zuko was eight. Both were learning more about the world they were living in. However, the world wasn't the only thing Azula was learning. She had taken noticed to how Ursa would spend more time with Zuko than with her. It didn't make sense. Didn't her mother love her just the same? Though, everytime she had that thought, Ursa spotted her daughter and invited her over to join them. Maybe she was just imagining things. She knew her dad was always around with her, but she wanted to be around her mom too. She loved her mom. _

_ Today was a different day. It was something that would change her life drastically. She watched her mother and brother sit by the turtle-duck pond; feeding them pieces of bread. She decided to go join them, but stopped when she heard her name whispered out to her. _

_ "Azula… come here for a moment," she heard her father's voice say. "I need to speak with you."_

_ Curious and wanting to obey her father, Azula walked over to where she heard his voice. He was standing in one of the many doorways that led out to the courtyard; watching Azula and she walked up to him. He smiled a little bit at his daughter and Azula smiled back._

_ "What is it daddy?" Azula asked._

_ Ozai gently wrapped at arm around her shoulders and brought her to his side so she could stand beside him and looked out to were Ursa and Zuko were sitting. Ozai kneeled down so he was at the same level with Azula and gave her a sympathetic look. Her curiosity grew._

_ "I want to share a little secret with you,"he began, "but you have to promise not to tell. It will make your mother upset."_

_ Azula nodded. "I promise."_

_ Ozai smirked a bit. "Good girl. Now, what I'm going to tell you may surprise you, but everything I'm about to tell you is true. Do you understand?"_

_ Azula was getting frustrated. She just wanted to know! She sighed and said, "yes daddy, I understand. Please tell me already."_

_ Ozai chuckled at her impatience. He would definitely need to work on that with her. He pointed in the direction he wanted her to look at and said, "Look. You see your mother and brother sitting there together?"_

_ Azula looked and nodded. "Yeah."_

_ "They always spend time like that together, don't they?"_

_ "Yes… but sometimes I join them."_

_ "Only sometimes, huh? Why do you think your mother spends most of her time with Zuko and only sometimes with you?"_

_ Azula didn't answer at first and shrugged. "I… don't know, daddy."_

_ "It's something you've been thinking about a lot, hasn't it?"_

_ Azula nodded hesitantly; not sure if she should admit it. "Do… do you know?"_

_ Ozai gave a nod and sighed, "I do know. You see… you're mother loves Zuko more."_

_ Azula's eyes grew wide. Was it true? Did her mom really not love her? Surely her dad wouldn't lie to her. She shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't help remember all the times she watched her mom hug her brother, kiss him, and simply just spend time with him more. She felt hurt and some tears swelled in her eyes. "But… but why, daddy? I thought mommy loved me."_

_ Ozai shook his head sadly at her. "Don't cry, Azula," he said as he wiped her tears. "I know it's hard to hear, but it's true. Your mother always wanted a son. She never wanted to have a daughter… And now that you're catching up to Zuko in your firbending training just proves that you're more skilled… and sadly your mother doesn't like that. She hates that… She hates you. She thinks you're a monster… But I don't think that. I love you, Azula. I'll always be there for you. I'm the only one you can trust… and I will make sure you reach your greatest potential in firebending. You, my daughter, will be a prodigy; which means you will be one of the greatest firebenders in the world."_

_ The whole time Ozai spoke, Azula stared at him with wide, tearful eyes. The truth scared and upset her. A few times, tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away as she listened. When her father finished, she looked back at Ursa and Zuko who were now laughing. They looked so happy… and yet she wasn't with them. They weren't sharing their happiness with her. Her sadness soon turned to anger. Zuko was just jealous of her. Yeah, that was it. He couldn't stand the fact that she was better than him at everything. Then with her mother, she wanted a son just like her dad said. She never wanted her. She didn't care about her. She hated her. _

_ Ozai watched Azula's emotions and smirked when he saw her anger. His plan was working. "I want to train you Azula, but I can't let your mother and Zuko know. We would have to do it in secret. Are you ok with this? Would you like me to train you?"_

_ Azula eventually pryed her eyes away from the two people she now viewed as liars and nodded as her eyes met her father's. "I do."_

_ Ozai nodded, remaing calm and keeping a sympathetic look on his face. "Good. We'll get started soon."_

_ The following day, Azula was practicing firebending out in the court yard. Zuko found her and smiled; running up to her. "Hey Azula! Do you want to play a game today? You can pick since I picked last time."_

_ "No thanks. I'm busy," Azula said with a punch in the air as a fire ball formed out of her fists and dispearsed into the air. _

_ Zuko was confused. Azula always wanted to to play games. "Is there something wrong?"_

_ "No, everything's just fine." She kicked in the air and it followed with some punches._

_ "Oh, ok… Well, if you don't want to play a game… what do you want to do then?"_

_ Azula stopped her practicing and smirked at him. "I have an idea."_

_ "Great!" Zuko said with a smile; oblivious to her smirk. "What is it?"_

_ "It's something that involves a kick and someone falling over."_

_ Zuko was greatly confused. "… Uh… what kind of game is that?"_

_ "This one." She kicked low; swiping her leg to hit Zuko's feet; causing him to fall._

_ "OOPH!" Zuko landed on his back. He sat up rubbing the back of his head and yelled out, "hey! What was that for?!"_

_ Azula leaned forward to be face to face with him and said, "Next time, don't bother me when I'm training, or I'll hurt you again."_

_ With that, she walked off to train somewhere else, leaving Zuko confused and with a sore head. Ozai was watching the whole scene through the window. He was proud. If things kept up like this, his plan was for sure going to work._

_ After that day, the relationship between Zuko and Azula was never the same. _

* * *

**ACT 2**

* * *

Silence. No one spoke after Azula left. Mai stayed in the same spot, leaning against a tree, as the brothers sat in their spot. Tomoki made sure to keep the campfire ablaze as Tomomi laid back relaxing. The only person not relaxing was Tomoya. On the outside, he looked calm, but on the inside he was panicking. It was killing him that Azula wasn't back yet. Where was she? Was she ok? He had to find her. What if she was in trouble?

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Tomoya yelled standing up. "I gotta go find her. She's been gone too long."

He was ready to start walking to leave, but he heard Mai's voice ask, "Why?" Tomoya looked questioningly at her. Mai stared back blankly. Tomoya was never sure about her. She was too hard to read. "You seem rather protective of her lately," Mai continued. "You don't even call her 'little lady' anymore."

Tomoya wasn't sure how to answer. So many questions were running through his head. Was he being too obvious on his feeling toward the princess? "W-well," Tomoya began with a stutter, "I… don't always say the right things around women. There are things I regret saying because I don't think before I open my mouth at times. I'm trying to work on that… Especially for the princess." He sighed. He wished Azula could see how much he cared about her. "I've… also developed a respect for her." He figured that was good enough. He wasn't lying, but he was just beating around the bush.

"Yeah," he brothers laughed. "And looooove."

Tomoya glared at his brothers. "So what if I do have feelings for her?!" he yelled; making his brothers stop and stare wide eyed at him. "I care about her and I can tell she needs help. I don't know what it is, but I'm dertermined to figure it out. I want to help her and I'm going to make sure I don't fail." With that, he stormed off before anyone else could say a word with everyone watching.

Mai smiled a bit and shook her head. "Wow… he's got it bad."

Tomomi and Tomoki looked each other and smiled; snickering. They knew their brother had picked a hard girl to get, but that didn't stop them from teasing because they thought it was adorable their brother fell for someone.

Azula was still sitting by the pond with her face buried in her arms. She had no idea how long she had been there. Time didn't exist at the moment. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh to calm her thoughts, but it wasn't working. She finally picked her head up and rested her chin on her arms; refusing to cry still. She stared at the pond; trying to let it calm her, but it wasn't doing anything. She guessed since she was fire she couldn't connect to water even if she wanted to relax. Thoughts kept circling inside her head and one thought in particular stuck out the most.

"Why did mom have to think that way about me?" she asked out loud softly. "What did I ever do?" She closed to eyes tight; trying not to let a tear fall. Memories tying into what she had just send came flooding through her mind. She gripped the sleeves of her shirt tightly to focus on her grip instead of the memories.

* * *

_Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were climbing a tree; laughing as they swung on the branches. Azula then saw Zuko walking toward them. He looked questioningly at his sister; wondering if he should join. She wasn't acting normal and it confused him, but it also worried him. Azula jumped down from the tree with Mai and Ty Lee right behind her. They wondered what she was doing until she turned to them with a sly smile._

_ "I'll be right back, ok?" she said. "I need to talk to Zuko."_

_ As she approached her brother, she stayed calm with a smile on her face. Zuko saw this and smiled back; hoping she was coming over to ask him to join. The look on Azula's face when she stood in front of him softened Zuko. She looked so sorry and hurt. _

_ "Um… Zuko?" Azula began; looking at him then back at the ground as she spoke. "I just wanted to say… I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it… Do you forgive me?"_

_ Zuko's smile wided thinking maybe she was changing back. "Of course." _

_ Azula smiled wide back and jumped up and down a little in excited. "Would you want to play with us then?"_

_ "Sure!"_

_ Azula led her brother to the tree and noticed a slight blush from Mai and Ty Lee being all happy about someone else playing with them. All four began climbing the tree; each having their own branch to sit on and swing from. Azula watched Zuko carefully as she stood on her branch and watched as Zuko struggled to pull himself up on his. When she saw him finally pull himself up, before he straightened, she saw her opportunity. She leapt to his branch, causing it to vibrate and for Zuko to lose his balance; making him fall to the ground hard. Luckily for him, the tree wasn't that big so the fall wasn't that long. He didn't break anything, but was very sore. Azula jumped down beside him and laughed hysterically as Mai and Ty Lee watched with wide eyes. Mai jumped down and checked on Zuko while Ty Lee approached Azula. _

_ "Azula, that could've really hurt him," Ty Lee said scared. "Your mommy and daddy won't be happy."_

_ "Oh he's fine," Azula said as she rolled her eyes. "Just give him time."_

_ "Azula!" a loud voice called out. _

_ Azula grimaced a bit when she realized it was her father's voice. She turned around and he gestured for her to come over to him. She turned to her friends and said, "Daddy needs me. See you later."_

_ She waved at them and ran over to her dad who payed no mind to his son now being on the ground. As Azula left with Ozai, she glanced behind her to see her mother run up to Zuko after seeing him on the ground. She watched as Ursa checked Zuko over and sighed with relief when she knew he was ok. Ty Lee then said something Ursa looked over at Azula. Azula knew her mother now knew it was her who had made Zuko fall. She saw surprise on her mother's face, but she knew really her mother was just worried about Zuko. She didn't want anything to happen to her precious boy; her precious child. The one she loved the most. _

_ Ozai led Azula down a long hallway. As they passed room after room Azula began to wonder where they were actually going, until they stopped at a blank wall. She raised an eyebrow in curiousity and looked up at her father. Ozai wasn't looking back. What he was focused on was the lamp on the wall. He grabbed it and pulled down; creating part of the wall to slide away revealing a secret room. Azula's eyes went wide. How long had that room been there? When she realized Ozai had already stepped inside she followed after him; the door closing right behind her. The room wasn't much to look at. It was empty with red walls and a red tiled floor. The same lamps that burned a large flame were on the walls. _

_ "Daddy?" Azula asked. "Why are we here?"_

_ Ozai smiled at his daughter. "This is where I'm going to train you, Azula. My grandfather, your great-grandfather, built this room for his children to train in. It was where I and your uncle were trained in. However, your uncle would rather have this room gone. He didn't train your cousin here and, to be fair, my father ordered me to never train you and your brother here either. No one will bother us here, Azula. Your training will be kept private and you must never say a word to anyone else. Understand?"_

_ Azula nodded. "I do."_

_ "Good… because I see you're stronger than Zuko and I know Zuko will fail in the future. But you, my daughter… I know you won't fail me. You have such potential."_

_ She smiled a little. She was happy that she could make her dad proud of her and she didn't want to lose that. Then that smile fell. She saw her dad strike at her with a large fireball. She gasped and fell back just in time before she got hurt. She stared wide eyed at her dad with fear. Ozai only stared back with a smirk._

_ "First rule," Ozai began. "Always be prepared."_

_ Azula swallowed and nodded, but she had no words. She didn't think her father would start her training like that. This was going to be more intense than her past training with her teachers. Day after day her training sessions took place along with her regular sessions with her teachers. She barely had a break and she was growing tired, but Ozai did care. He had to push her to be the greatest. Being tired wasn't an excuse. _

_ One afternoon, Azula was completely exhausted. The training sessions were getting longer and harder and she could barely concentrate on the session she was having right now, but she tried her best. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore. As she blocked Ozai's last fireball she fell to her knees and began to cry. _

_ "What are you doing?" Ozai snapped. "Get up!"_

_ "I can't…" Azula sobbed as she breathed heavily. "This is… too much… Can we stop? Please? I don't want to train anymore."_

_ Ozai couldn't stand to hear those words. He stormed forward toward Azula before she could even register about moving away from him. He grabbed her arm harshly and slowly, increasing the heat in his hand, burned it; causing Azula to cry out in pain. It wasn't enough to leave a scar, but it was enough to where she would be stuck with the burns for a couple days._

_ "You WILL train. You WILL perfect every move. You MUST be better than Zuko," Ozai warned. "If you ever defy me again…" he burned another part of her arm causing her to cry out again, "…these burns will be worse and never heal." He let go of her arm and turned his back on her; walking away as Azula still cried. "Stop that!" he yelled. "Don't cry. Never cry." He turned to face her, giving her a warning glare. "It shows weakness. Understand?"  
Azula sniffled as she stopped cry no matter how hard she wanted to. She wiped her eyes as she stood and nodded. She took a deep breath and said, "I understand."_

_ "Will you continues to train?"_

_ "…Yes."_

_ Ozai smiled proudly. "You must remember, Azula. The power… the divine right to rule… is something you're born with." With that, he firebended at her once more; forcing Azula to defend herself and continue the training._

* * *

Azula opened her eyes, but not one tear fell. Her father's words repeated in her head. "_Don't cry. Never cry. It shows weakness._" Those words caused her to focus more. She wasn't going to lose that focus. She had to keep it.

"I won't be weak," she said confidently to herself. "I won't let what happened last time happened again." With that, she loosened the grip on her shirt. The tension was gone and she had to keep it from returning again.

* * *

**ACT 3**

* * *

_In the early afternoon the next day, Azula was still fast asleep in her bed. Ursa knew something was wrong. She hadn't failed to notice her daughter sleeping later and later each day recently and she was going to figure out why. She opened her daughters bedroom door and saw her daughter sleeping away. She soundlessly walked into the room and looked over he daughter. Azula was at least breathing alright and she sighed with relief. She leaned over Azula and gently touched her shoulder; shaking her awake.  
"Azula? Sweetheart?" Ursa called out soothingly. "Wake up. You're going to sleep the afternoon away."Azula slowly woke up and tried to focus. She rubbed her eyes to wake herself up more and Ursa smiled lovingly; sitting beside her. "Are you feeling ok, Azula?"_

_ "Yeah, why?" Azula asked a little annoyed as she sat up in bed._

_ "Well, I've realized you've been sleeping really late recently. I thought something might be wrong."_

_ Azula hesitated a little, but it didn't take her long to come up with a lie. She knew if she told the truth her father would be furious with her. "I've just been staying up late."_

_ "You have? Why is that?"_

_ "I've been practicing some firebending moves in my room. I want to get better at them." It was half a lie, but she hoped her mother would believe her. _

_ Ursa sighed a bit. She could tell her daughter wasn't telling everything, but she thought maybe Azula didn't want to reveal she broke something. "Well, just be more careful, ok? Tiring yourself out like this is dangerous."  
Azula sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." She slid out of bed not realizing that the covers had pushed up the sleeve on her pajamas. Her mother gasped when she noticed the burn marks on her arms.  
"Azula!" Ursa called out in horror that surprised Azula. Ursa took her arm and studied the marks. "What happened? How did you get these?"_

_ Uh oh. How was she going to explain this one? She didn't think anyone would see. Luckily, she formed a lie easily. "I just lost control of my bending when I was practicing."_

_ Confusion was now written all over Ursa's face. "I've never seen you lose control before."_

_ Frustrated, Azula forcefully pulled her arm out from her mother's grasp. "I was just trying a complicated move, ok?" She crossed her arms and huffed. "I don't want to talk about it."_

_ This behavior was confusing Ursa even more. The only thing she could think of was maybe Azula was sensitive to the fact she was having a hard time learning a move. Failing wasn't an easy thing to accept. All she could do was sigh and say, "Well, just keep trying, but be careful. You know fire can be dangerous."_

_ "Yeah, I know. I know."_

_ "Now get dressed and once you're done I'm going to take care of those burns."_

_ "Aw, mom! Come on! I'll be ok!"_

_ "No, Azula. Not another word. If it's not treated it may leave a scar. Just let me know when you're done."_

_ Azula rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine."_

_ Ursa gave Azula a kiss on her head, but Azula knew that her mother was only acting. She could care less about taking care of her burns. If it were Zuko her mother would probably be frantic. Yes… she was only doing this because she didn't want anyone to be suspicious, but Azula wasn't going to be fooled. She wouldn't give in to her mother's lies anymore. _

_ After she was dressed and medicine was applied to her burns, she adventured out into the courtyard. It was a beautiful day and she thought maybe later she would ask Ty Lee and Mai to play. Her thoughts were distracted as she saw a four year old girl, younger than her, skipping around by some flowers. Azula smirked. She knew this young girl and she knew she would be a perfect target. The girl lived in the palace and never came outside much. Azula watched as the dark brown haired girl began picking some flowers to possibly decorate something to give someone. She had no idea Azula was approaching her. _

_ "Hey! You're not supposed to be out here," Azula shouted. _

_ The young girl was startled and stared up at Azula a little scared. When she saw it was Azula she withdrew into herself by becoming shy. She spoke quietly as she said, "But… I'm allowed to walk this part of the palace grounds… It's in the back. I can't be seen."_

_ "So?"Azula snapped._

_ The girl grimaced at Azula's sharp tone, but continued. "S-so… I have every right to be outside…"_

_ "Well, I say no, you shouldn't, because you're so annoying to have around. Nobody wants to see you. Nobody even knows about you. So why even bother coming outside? You should just stay locked away in your little room forever. Everyone hates you. You're like a servant to us… You may even become one of them one day."_

_ "Hey!" another voice shouted out. Azula and the girl saw Zuko running up to them. "Azula, stop being so mean to her."_

_ "What? It's true!" Azula countered._

_ "Azula!" She heard Ozai's voice call out. She knew what that meant._

_ "Well, gotta go!"Azula waved. "Maybe both of you should just stay inside. I mean, no one wants to see a prince who can barely bend and a girl who's pain to have around." She ran off to her father and was following him back into the palace, but that didn't stop her from watching her brother and overhearing what he was about to tell the girl._

_ Zuko shook his head. How could Azula be so mean? He sat beside the young girl and smiled at her. "Don't listen to her, ok? She's lying. No one thinks you're a pain to have around."_

_ The girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Really?"_

_ "Really. I mean, I love having you around." That made the girl smile. "Come on. Let's go play a game."_

_ "Ok!" the girl said excitedly._

_ Azula watched her brother with disgust. How could he be so kind to her? With that last thought, she entered the building with her father; ready to train once again._

* * *

"Azula!" a voice called out.

Azula snapped out of her thought; startled that whoever the person was might find her. She heard footsteps off to her left and tried to figure out a way where she wouldn't be seen. The tree close by was big enough to hide her. She carefully crawled her way over to the tree without making too much noise.

"Azula! Where are you?" the voice called out again.

She peeked around the edge of the tree to see it was Tomoya who was calling out for her. Why? Why was he always around? She could take care of herself just fine. She didn't need his help. He said he cared… was it true? Azula shook her head and hid back behind the tree. No. No one cared. He's just saying that.

"Azula!" Tomoya called out again. He sighed. "Where could she be?" He continued walking without seeing Azula at all. Azula relaxed, but she could still here him calling, "Azula!... Azula!... Azula!"

* * *

_"Azula! Tell me what happened," Ursa demanded as she led her daughter back into her room. "Why were you just telling Zuko your father would do something to him?" Azula didn't answer and looked away. "Azula! Answer me now!"_

_ It had been two years since the first time her training started. She was eight and Zuko was ten. She had grown used to lying, manipulating, the extreme training, and tormenting Zuko whenever possible. She could lie to her mother and get herself out of this situation now, but was it worth it? Her mother was the only person who could tell if Azula was lying or not, even if she wasn't completely sure. No... she couldn't lie. Her mother would find some other way to find out the truth. She knew her mother would never give up._

_ Azula glared at her mother and sighed. She told Ursa about what she had just heard her grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, just say to her father. About how her father asked to become Fire Lord instead of her uncle. Then Azulon said he doesn't know how Iroh feels and will only except his offer if he kills his first born son. Ursa gasped at this and tears swelled up in her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that Ozai would do this. Without a single word, Ursa hurried out the door; leaving Azula alone. Azula began to wonder I she did the right thing. Would mom tell dad that she was the one who gave her mother the information? If so, what would dad do?Azula didn't fall asleep right away, but surprisingly she did sleep well. _

_ The next day, Ozai stepped into Azula's room after she was finished getting ready for her grandfather's funeral. She realized she wasn't saddened by her grandfather's death. That just meant that her father may possibly become Fire Lord now. At least, she hoped so. _

_ "Azula, I need to tell you something very important," Ozai stated calmly. _

_ "What is it daddy?"_

_ Without any hesitation he explained, "Last night your mother found out about a plan… A plan that involved me becoming Fire Lord. Well, she didn't like this. She formed a plan that was unforgivable... and for that she was punished." He looked sternly at Azula. He knew she would be the one to give her the answers. "Do you know how she found out this plan? Did someone tell her?"_

_ Azula didn't speak up right away. Instead she pretended to think about who might've told, when really she was hoping her dad wasn't asking to see if she would lie or not. Finally, she shook her head and said, "No. I can't think of anyone who did."_

_ She gave no hint of lying and Ozai looked into her eyes to see… but in the end he the lie worked. He nodded and said, "Then we'll have to keep searching."_

_"Where's mom now?"Azula asked to get on a different topic from who the culprit was. _

_With no emotion, Ozai stared down at his daughter. He debated for only a second of what to tell her, but finally said, "She is dead."_

_Azula's eyes grew wide. Why? Had her mother simply die unexpectedly? Or was it because of her? Did her telling her mother what she had heard her grandfather say end up being the cause of her death?Was she really to blame?_

_"Why?" she asked. "How?"_

_Ozai sighed like he didn't want to explain. "That was her punishment, Azula."_

_"Oh… So… she won't have a funeral?"_

_"No," was Ozai's simple answer. "Now, let's go. It's time for your grandfather's funeral… and my corination."_

_Azula perked up at the last word. Her father achieved at becoming the Fire Lord. Though she did question how in her head. Zuko wasn't dead. Maybe it had something to do with her mother. That was the only option she could think of and it satisfied her. She knew her father would achieve great things and that he would have her help him… but even though she was satisfied by her conclusion, it still bothered her about what happened with her mom. That night, she laid in her bed thinking about what she just learned. She found tears in her eyes for many reasons. She loved her mother and would miss her, but there were many times when she hated her more. She hated that she was called a monster and that Zuko was the apple of their mother's eye. She would never get the chance to see if maybe she could change things with her mother. She pushed that thought aside. It would never happen. Only her father cared about her, but she knew if he saw the tears in her eyes now he would scold her for it. She didn't want to be weak… but maybe… just this one time… she could allow herself to cry without anyone knowing. She was alone after all. With that, she cried softly into her pillow until she fell asleep._

* * *

A single tear dripped into the pond and the water rippled over Azula's reflection. Azula touched her cheek to feel more tears and tried to wipe them away, but it was no use. The tears just kept coming. "You will not be weak," she told herself. She repeated it a few more time until she broke down into a heavy sob; burying her face in her hands. All the memories and the pent up feelings were too much.

What she didn't know was the Avatar and his friends were close by. They had landed in the middle of the night and were exhausted from traveling so much. Each of them were in their sleeping bags and fast asleep; except Zuko. He couldn't fall asleep so quickly and stared up into the stars thinking about everything that had been happening. He couldn't let it go as easily as other people had. He was run out of his own nation and people believed he was like his father. How could he possibly let it go? He sat up and groaned. He had to get rid of these thoughts otherwise he would have another sleepless night. He decided to take a walk in the woods to tire himself more. It was working, but something caught his attention. Crying. He listened more carefully and knew that was exactly what he heard. He headed in that direction; remaining quiet as he got closer. He didn't want to scare the person off since they were in a vulnerable state. When he was about a couple feet away, he hid behind a tree to see who the person was and was shocked to find out. Azula hadn't heard him and he was relieved at that, but why was she crying? The only time he saw her cry was when she lost the agni kai. That was a cry of defeat, but this was different. This time she looked genuinely hurt and confused. He knew that pain. Though the question still stood… why? Why was she hurt and confused? He didn't completely understand. He had his guesses, but she never opened up to him for him to understand everything about her. He felt conflicted. Should he stay hidden or go back to the camp because she would attack? Or should he be the big brother he was supposed to be and confront his sister to make her feel better even though she would attack. Either way, it would be bad. He felt crazy, but he took a step out from behind the tree to approach her when…

"Azula!" Tomoya called out relieved, but worried when he found her at the pond.

Zuko hid back behind the tree, but watched; being carful not to be seen. He watched as Tomoya kneeled beside Azula clearly worried about why she was crying.

"Thank Agni I found you," he said placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Why are you crying? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"What are you doing here?" Azula snapped pushing his hand off her.

Tomoya looked hurt, but regained his composure and said, "I came to find you. I was worried. You've been gone a long time."

Azula looked at him confused. "…You… were worried about… me?"

Tomoya smiled softly. "Of course I was."

"But… why?"

He chuckled. "You still can't wrap your mind around it, huh? You think people don't care about you, Azula… and… I don't know, maybe some don't. I can't speak for them… all I know is what I feel. I meant it and I still mean it when I say I care about you. Some may say they don't, but I do and I always will. Never forget that."

"But… you barely even know me."

"I know you're not cold hearted like you act at times."

"How do you know? I've hurt many people."

"Yeah, you're right about that… but I can see it in your eyes, Azula. The real you is dying to come out. Please… let me help you."

Azula was about to counter back, but then she saw how pleading his eyes looked. She never saw anyone look at her like that before. Maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth. "I'll… I'll think about it."

Tomoya smiled wide. Fore once, she didn't turn him down. "Take all the time you need." He helped her to her feet by taking her hands and looked concerned again. "You're freezing."

"Oh…" she looked at her hands then crossed her arms to get warm. She finally felt the coldness rush through her. "I guess I didn't realize."

"Come on. Let's get back to camp to warm you up."

As Tomoya led her back to camp, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help keep her warm. At first, Azula was about to push him away and Tomoya knew she might do that. He waited to see what would happen… but nothing did. He glanced down and saw Azula a little more huddled into him to get warmer. She knew she could use her firebending to heat up, but… at this moment she didn't feel like using it. After the night she had she felt weak. Tomoya smiled a bit; happy that she allowed him to help her… even if it was just this once.

Once they were far enough away, Zuko decided to head back to camp and had a confused look on his face. Azula just accepted help from someone, but most of all he saw her in pain. Emotional pain. He wouldn't forget this. Not to get back at her… but to possibly reach out to her. That is, if he could. He didn't know where to start, but it was going to keep this to himself. She was his sister and he knew he would eventually find a way… somehow.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have been waiting such a long time to write this chapter and post it! I'm so glad it's finally up. Like I said in my note in the last chapter, this chapter is one of the big important ones. I always wondered what Azula's own past was like and this is what I came up with. Now... when it comes to the ages... I'm pretty sure I read or heard somewhere that Zuko was like... ten or eleven when Ursa left and Azula and him are two years apart, so that would make Azula eight. I have no idea if this is correct, but that's what I'm going by. Also... I know it was a short part in this chapter, because this is supposed to mainly focus on Azula, I recommend to keep that young girl Azula teased in mind...**

And that's all I'm going to say about her lol

no name

**no other description but the dark, brown hair**

**nothing**

**just remember her**

and with that... I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I shall write more often to get more chapters up! Thanks for reading! Please review!


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